Stephen Wish

I am 57 now, born in England and moving to London when 18 year old. I've lived and worked in Haringey since 1985. Haringey is a complex and diverse borough, so for me it is an excellent place to be right now as I see my self as equally complex and diverse. I thought geography in two Haringey schools and remained delighted with the privilege of meeting children from all over the world, who shared their first hand experiences with me. If you want to meet people in a global context, where better than Haringey?

I founded my organisation, Polar Bear Community, in 2000 because I recognised there was a lack of personalised support for people experiencing serious mental health issues, as I was at the time.We help people explore and express how they are experiencing the world in what is a very confusing and chaotic moment in their life. After I was diagnosed with bi-polar affective disorder, at the age of 46, and ended my teaching career, I asked myself the questions: 'Why had I lost my voice?' 'Why was no-one hearing me?' 'Why did it feel as though I really had nowhere to turn?' Polar Bear helped me rediscover. I discovered that I believed in possibility - daily miracles that can allow almost anything to happen, if we are able to recognise them.

My advice to future leaders is to keep believing! You may not know how to do something, but that does not mean that it isn’t possible. You can do it! Come and talk with the Polar Bear if you want to discover your own possibilities, even in the most difficult of times.