- Bell Let's Talk asks Canadians what they will do to create
change, and shares tips on ways to help
- Bell Let's Talk Day highlights mental health organizations that
are creating real change in their communities
- 2024 Bell Let's Talk Community Fund is now open for
applications. Registered charitable organizations
can apply for grants up to $25,000 for programs that are improving access to
mental health care, supports and services
- Mental health events taking place across the country
- Please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk to learn more
MONTRÉAL, Jan. 24,
2024 /CNW/ - Today is Bell Let's Talk Day! We are
encouraging everyone to take meaningful action to create real
change while also highlighting Canadian mental health organizations
who are providing Canadians with access to mental health care in
their communities across the country. These organizations are
working to create real change for so many Canadians who are
struggling with their mental health.
"It's Bell Let's Talk Day! We are putting a spotlight on the
mental health organizations all across the country that are working
every day to provide mental health supports and services for
Canadians. Today and throughout the year we encourage everyone to
take meaningful action to help create real change in their
communities."
- Mary Deacon,
Chair of Bell Let's Talk
Bell Let's Talk supports organizations throughout Canada
including the mental health organizations and services that are
highlighted in this year's campaign: 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis
Helpline, Aire Ouverte, Canadian Red Cross, CAPSA, Choices for
Youth, CMHA PEI Division, Foundry, Hong Fook Mental Health
Association, Huddle, Integrated Youth Services (IYS), Jacob Puddister Memorial Foundation, Kickstand,
Kids Help Phone, LakeCity Works, Les Impatients, Liard Aboriginal
Women's Society, National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC),
Nurrait | Jeunes Karibus, Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot
Heritage Society, Portage, Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY),
Sophia Recovery Centre, TAIBU Community Health Centre, The Do More
Agriculture Foundation, The Refugee Centre, and Youth Wellness Hubs
Ontario. For more information, visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
2024 Bell Let's Talk Community Fund open for
applications
Applications are now being accepted for the
Bell Let's Talk Community Fund. Registered charitable organizations
can apply for grants up to $25,000
for programs that are improving access to mental health care,
supports and services. To date, $20
million has been awarded to more than 1,100 local mental
health programs across Canada. Visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk and
follow the links to Funding Opportunities to apply online.
Bell Let's Talk Day events taking place today:
Bell Media English and French Programming:
CTV YOUR MORNING:
CTV YOUR MORNING will explore
9-8-8, Canada's new suicide crisis helpline, and how it's helping
Canadians. Dr. Allison Crawford,
chief medical officer for the line, will explain how it works, who
people connect with, and the impact the line is having across the
country.
THE GOOD STUFF WITH MARY BERG:
Mary Deacon joins Mary
Berg to raise awareness about this year's "Let's Create Real
Change" campaign, and what Canadians can do to help loved ones who
may be struggling. In addition, Mental Health and Substance Use
Counsellor Karlie Klinck raises awareness about how Youth Wellness
Hubs of Ontario uniquely provides
both clinical and social programs serving youth ages 12-25 in a
nurturing environment.
THE SOCIAL:
THE SOCIAL hosts will be joined by
Olympic bronze medalist and Canadian rugby star, Jen Kish, for candid conversations about the
day's trending topics, all relating to mental health and
well-being. The show will also include segments about the
appropriate language to use when discussing mental health, youth
addiction, and methods for improving mental resiliency.
ETALK:
GINNY & GEORGIA star Sara
Waisglass stops by the ETALK set to talk about her Blue
Monday public service announcement produced in partnership with
Olympian Silken Laumann's Unsinkable foundation, which uses
storytelling as a way to normalize discussions surrounding mental
health.
Reporter Sonia Mangat visits Kids
Help Phone (KHP) to sit down with President and CEO Katherine Hay and Jamieson Scott, a former service user who now
works as a development officer. They discuss the organization's
launch of the Feel Out Loud Anthem, created by more than 50
Canadian Artists and how KHP's 35 years of service has made it
essential for youth in Canada.
CTV digital platforms highlight mental
health
CTV.ca and the CTV app highlights Bell Let's
Talk Day programming across CTV series in addition to
specially-curated collections focused on mental health awareness,
health and wellness, and discussions with experts in the field of
mental health, as well as a Mental Health Awareness movie
collection (including Girl, Interrupted; As Good As It
Gets; Greenberg; and more) free to stream anytime.
TSN
Bell Let's Talk Day content will be featured
across TSN platforms, as Canada's Sports Leader amplifies and
shares messages from teams and prominent figures from around the
world of sports. These messages appear on SportsCentre, TSN.ca, and
across TSN social media platforms, including the Jan. 24 edition of DIGITAL SPORTSCENTRE.
Crave
Crave's Mental Health Awareness
Collection features titles such as NOTHING COMPARES, THE
GOLDEN BOY, WAY OVER ME, All My Puny Sorrows, and many more.
The collection also includes the newly released Canadian
documentary ATTILA from Stephen
Hosier, which investigates the life and death of Attila
Csanyi.
MuchMusic spotlights mental health in music
Today
MuchMusic is amplifying mental health stories across all of its
social media platforms with a special compilation video featuring
interviews with artists, where they share their personal stories on
mental health. MuchMusic VJ Teddy Tong also hits the streets to
chat with Canadians about how music has positively affected their
mental health.
LE CLOWN EST TRISTE
This documentary attempts to
understand and demystify the increased presence of mental health
issues among comedians: behind those who make us laugh there is
sometimes a sad clown. Jean-François Mercier, Simon Gouache, Cathy Gauthier, Mario
Jean, Maude Landry, Coco
Belliveau and Preach will unveil their own vulnerabilities.
Louise Richer, Executive Director
and founder of the École nationale de l'humour, students from the
École nationale de l'humour and specialists will also share their
observations.
LE CLOWN EST TRISTE will be broadcasted today at 7 p.m. on Canal Vie and on January 28 at 8
p.m. on Noovo and will also be available on Crave and
Noovo.ca starting January 24.
RDS
During the day, RDS flagship programs will address
mental health through interviews with athletes or sports
stakeholders on the subject: former NHL player Éric Bélanger and
Dr. Sylvain Guimond (ON JASE),
former boxer Marie-Eve Dicaire
(SPORTS 30), baseball player Charles
Leblanc (5 À 7) and golfer Maude-Aimée Leblanc
(L'ANTICHAMBRE). There will also be an interview with mental health
trainer Jean-François Ménard on RDS.ca.
Noovo
BIG BROTHER CELEBRITÉS will deliver personal
testimonies from celebrities on today's show at 6:30 p.m. The full discussion can be seen in BIG
BROTHER 7/7 on Noovo.ca.
Noovo Info will report on the crisis centers in Montréal which
are receiving more and more calls related to financial anxiety.
There will also be reports in each region on the state of mental
health services and organizations that help fight stigma. At
10:30 p.m., the show LES DÉBATTEURS
DE NOOVO, hosted by Michel Bherer,
will focus on mental health. All content and resources will be
available on Noovo.info.
The Noovo.ca audience can now discover several productions
in the "La santé mentale : créons de vrais
changements" collection, including QUAND LA MALADIE MENTALE
S'INVITE, SORTEZ-MOI DE MOI and CHSLD, MON AMOUR. On Noovo Moi, a
folder will be available with information and advice.
Crave, SUPER ÉCRAN and Cinépop
Starting now, Crave
subscribers can see productions where aspects of mental health are
demystified in the "Bell Let's Talk" collection. LE POIDS DE
L'APPARENCE, MAMAN, POURQUOI TU PLEURES?, ACCRO : TROUBLES DE
DÉPENDANCES, LA SANTÉ MENTALE : UNE NOTE À LA FOIS and
SURVIVRE AU SPORT are among the titles selected.
The documentaries LE POID DE L'OR (3:55
p.m.), presented by Michael
Phelps, and NOTHING COMPARES V.F. (11:10 p.m.), on the late Sinéad O'Connor, will be
broadcast on SUPER ÉCRAN. The award-winning films LE BON CÔTÉ DES
CHOSES (1 p.m.) and UN HOMME
D'EXCEPTION (3:05 p.m.) will be on
the air at Cinépop.
iHeartRadio
All day long, Rouge FM and ÉNERGIE will
offer listeners mental health related topics. As of January 22, the podcast LE CHANGEMENT… STRESS,
DÉFI OU OPPORTUNITÉ by Dr. Nadia
Gagnier, hosted by Varda Étienne, will be available on
iHeartRadio.
#TeamBell takes action
#TeamBell is creating positive
change by participating in multiple workplace events across the
country, including assembling over 3,450 winter essential kits for
local organizations in need, sponsoring award-winning storyteller
Jason Reid in Speaker Series:
Embracing invisible disabilities in the workplace and hosting a
presentation by Calgary Counselling Centre on how they are
supporting Calgarians in need of mental health supports.
Workplace Mental Health Leadership certificate
program
As part of Bell's commitment to leading by example
in our own workplace and encouraging greater workplace engagement
across Canada, we are offering the Workplace Mental Health
Leadership certificate program at no cost to select Bell and Bell
Let's Talk partners.
Notable landmarks join in to highlight mental
health
To mark Bell Let's Talk Day, several notable
landmarks in communities across Canada will light up blue,
including Signal Hill, Vancouver
City Hall, Burrard St. Bridge and Winnipeg Esplanade Riel
Footbridge.
Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport will be
celebrating with a Bell Let's Talk smiley face on their sign. Les
Lignes du Fjord will show their support for Bell Let's Talk and
mental health with special signage on 60 trucks in Saguenay to
encourage people to take action for mental health.
Communities around the country raise the Bell Let's Talk
flag
More than 170 communities and organizations around the
country are showing their support for mental health with Bell Let's
Talk flag raisings, including the communities of Baie-Saint-Paul, Cape Breton, Charlottetown, Halifax, Mississauga, Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, Mont-Royal, Niagara
Falls, Oka, Ottawa, Regina, Saint John, Sainte-Julie, Saguenay, Sault Ste. Marie, Seine River First Nation,
Toronto, Whitehorse, Wolf Lake
First Nation. Flags will also be raised by the governments
of Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Yukon, Royal Canadian Mounted Police divisions
and police services around the country, and by various
post-secondary institutions.
University and college student engagement
The Bell
Let's Talk Campus Campaign will reach more than 200 universities,
colleges and CEGEPs throughout Canada. The campaign features a
variety of events on campuses to promote student mental health and
wellness, including more than 190 Bell Let's Talk varsity and
collegiate games. Schools will also screen short films about mental
health provided by the Au Contraire Film Festival. When students
purchase a specialty item from participating Chartwells-run food
service locations on campus today, 100% of the proceeds from sales
of that item will support their student mental health and
well-being departments.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police encourages mental health
awareness across the country
The RCMP is committed to
prioritizing mental health, which is part of their work to create
real change for the organization and the communities they serve. As
a proud partner of Bell Let's Talk, they will be organizing flag
raising ceremonies and engaging employees across the country to
help raise awareness for mental health.
NFL supports mental health with new content
series
Proud partner of Bell Let's Talk, the NFL has
produced a two-part content series to end stigma and create an open
dialogue around mental health. The first video in the series is a
sit down with TSN's Kara Wagland and
retired Wide Receiver, Brandon
Marshall, who opens up about his mental health journey and
how he is now opening the door for others to feel comfortable
speaking up about their struggles. The series' second video
features a roundtable talk discussing how clubs are building a
positive culture around mental health with the NFL's Vice President
of Wellness and Clinical Services, Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, who is
joined by Dr. Lani Lawrence,
Director of Wellness and Clinical Services to the New York Giants,
and the Philadelphia Eagles own Player Engagement Director,
Paul Lancaster. Watch TSN live, or
follow the links:
Improving The Culture Around Mental Health Among NFL Players |
NFL x Bell Let's Talk
Brandon Marshall Shares Mental Health Journey | NFL x Bell Let's
Talk
Hockey Talks – NHL teams show support for mental
health
The Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators and Montréal Canadiens are
showing support on social media on Bell Let's Talk Day, following
annual Hockey Talks nights presented by Bell and Bell MTS
throughout the month. Fans had the opportunity to learn about local
mental health organizations like Huddle in Manitoba, Youth Services Bureau in
Ottawa and Le Refuge des Jeunes in
Montréal, among other Bell Let's Talk mental health partners.
Hockey Talks – Le Rocket at Place Bell
Today, the Bell
Let's Talk team is hosting the Centre d'Implication Libre de
Laval (CILL), a mental health
organization who is a 2023 Bell Let's Talk Community Fund grant
recipient.
Raptors 905 take Bell Let's Talk to the
hardwood
Raptors 905, NBA G League affiliate of the Toronto
Raptors, will host its annual Bell Let's Talk Day game against
Grand Rapids Gold, NBA G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets.
With a special tip-off at 11:00 a.m.
local students have been invited to enjoy the game and learn more
about how to create real change for mental health.
CERVO Foundation – University Institute of Mental Health of
Québec
Flag raising and Conference at noon
today: "The Québec Program for Mental Disorders (PQTM), from
self-care to psychotherapy; a global response that adapts to the
unique journey and needs of each person." Attend in person at the
IUSMQ or participate virtually on Teams here.
Kids Eat Smart Foundation
The Kids Eat Smart
Foundation and Bell Let's Talk are hosting Bell Let's Talk
breakfasts for 4,900 students at 11 schools across Newfoundland and Labrador. Teachers will discuss mental
wellness and encourage conversation and steps to create change.
Belleville Chamber of Commerce
"Let's Talk Over Breakfast"
Explore what it means to "feel
good." Join We Thrive at the Belleville Chamber Breakfast at
7:00 a.m. to learn more about the
symptoms of burnout, anxiety and depression.
Peterborough & Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce "Let's Talk
About It"
Peterborough & Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce
"Let's Talk About It" features a panel discussion of mental health
experts speaking to various support strategies and assistance
available for the business community to support them with their
mental health needs. Register here.
Timmins Rock Bell Let's Talk Game
Join the Timmins
Rock CJHL Junior A Hockey Club as they raise awareness for mental
health at their annual Bell Let's Talk game night. Tickets
available here.
Forest Therapy Walks with Kawartha Conservation
Led by
Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Kristie
Virgoe, these free walks are designed to promote mental
well-being by immersing participants in the calming embrace of
nature, all while supporting the Canadian Mental Health Association
through voluntary donations. Explore the serene beauty of Ken Reid
Conservation Area while focusing on the importance of mental
health. To register, go to Calendar - Kawartha Conservation.
Bell Let's Talk Community Fund, Post-Secondary Fund and
Diversity Fund grants
The following 2023 Community Fund
recipients will be hosting events and cheque presentations today:
LakeCity Works in Nova Scotia,
Cochrane Temiskaming Resource Centre and CMHA Champlain East in
Ontario, Lloydminster Catholic
School Division in Alberta and
Streetohome Foundation in British
Columbia.
Representatives from Bell will join Dr. Sinda K. Vanderpool, President of St. Mary's University, and other distinguished
guests for a cheque presentation on campus at 2:40 p.m. This funding will play a pivotal role
in expanding mental health resources, implementing educational
programs, and enhancing support services for students.
Diversity Fund recipient, Hong Fook Mental Health Association,
will be hosting an event to celebrate their Bell Let's Talk grant
and speak about their work.
Telecon team supports mental health
Today,
Telecon will donate $10 to the
Canadian Mental Health Association for every re-share of their
LinkedIn post by a Telecon employee, up to $10,000.
CHEO launches Mental Health Education Video
Series
CHEO is pleased to launch the first video in its
Mental Health Education Video Series, part of the Bell Let's Talk
funded Choice and Partnership Approach (CAPA) program today. The
first video in its series of six will be released on CHEO's YouTube
channel today with the remaining videos being launched monthly
afterwards.
Marking Bell Let's Talk Day in the Northwest Territories
Community
members will gather on the traditional territory of Chief Drygeese,
home and land of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation to mark Bell
Let's Talk Day. Community members will join Sport North, the 2024
Arctic Winter Games Team NT, City of
Yellowknife and Northwestel at the Multiplex to share the
actions they are taking to address mental health challenges
personally, in sports and in our community of Yellowknife.
Let's create real change. Take action on Bell Let's Talk Day
and all year long!
Today and every day throughout the year,
we can all take meaningful action to create change. Let's create
real change asks everyone to play a role and provides practical
examples of ways to create change in our homes, schools, workplaces
and communities. Here are some actions we can all take:
- Choose a mental health organization to learn about or
support
- Help a friend struggling with their mental health by
learning how to support them
- Ask about how your school, workplace or community is
creating change for mental health
- Nurture your own well-being by practicing and learning
mental health strategies
- Get involved in a mental health initiative or organize
an event to support mental health
- Engage in conversations about mental health to fight
stigma
Visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk to see examples of actions that we can
all take and learn about some of the amazing mental health
organizations creating real change by increasing access to supports
and services in communities from coast to coast to coast. Download
the Bell Let's Talk toolkit and Conversation Guides and share your
own actions using #BellLetsTalk.
About Bell Let's Talk
The largest-ever corporate
commitment to mental health in Canada, Bell Let's Talk is focused on 4 key
action pillars – Anti-stigma, Care and Access, Research and
Workplace Leadership – and is part of Bell for Better. Since its
launch in 2010, Bell Let's Talk has partnered with more than 1,500
organizations providing mental health services throughout Canada,
including hospitals, universities, local community service
providers and other care and research organizations. To learn more,
please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Media inquiries:
media@bell.ca
@Bell_LetsTalk
SOURCE Bell Canada