NAIN, NL, Jan. 20, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell Let's Talk and
Bell Aliant today announced a $150,000 investment in the Nunatsiavut
Government's Aullak sangilivallianginnatuk - Going Off, Growing
Strong program to enhance mental health services for youth in
Nain.
Going Off, Growing Strong links youth participants with
positive adult role models in the community. The long-term,
intensive program matches experienced and trusted harvesters with
youth to take them out on the land, in pairs and as a group, to
teach them how to hunt, fish, collect firewood, navigate, and
prepare wild foods. Program participants also help the community by
preparing wild food for the community freezer and distributing it
to elders. This unique program helps develop the mental health,
resilience and social connections of its participants.
"During my visit to Nain last
year as part of Clara's Big Ride, I was so inspired by the young
people I met," said Clara Hughes,
Canada's six-time Olympic medalist and Bell Let's Talk national
spokesperson. "But I also saw how isolated communities have fewer
resources available to help young people grow and develop. I'm so
proud that Bell Let's Talk is supporting youth in Nain and addressing their mental health needs
through this wonderful program."
Nunatsiavut President Sarah Leo
says the contribution from Bell Let's Talk will help build on the
tremendous success of the Going Off, Growing Strong
program.
"We are very aware of the mental health challenges in
Nunatsiavut, and we are also very much aware of our strengths," she
said. "I have seen, first-hand, the positive impact that the
Going Off, Growing Strong program has had on its youth
participants and the community. The funding from Bell Let's Talk
will help us grow this impact, hire an additional staff member for
three years and put the program on a path towards sustainability.
We're very thankful for that."
Dorothy Angnatok, a leader in the
Going Off, Growing Strong program, who can be seen in the
documentary Clara's Big Ride airing on CTV, January 28 at 7 pm,
has noticed a positive change in youth in the community since the
introduction of the program.
"You can see it in their eyes and in the way that their
confidence has grown," she says. When we first started, a lot of
the youth were too nervous to go into elder's homes to share wild
foods from the community freezer. Now they race each other into the
homes to share food. That new-found sense of community connection,
culture and confidence is amazing to see."
"Helping communities care for those facing mental health
challenges is a priority for Bell Aliant, so we are pleased to
build on our existing partnership with the Nunatsiavut Government
to support youth mental health in Nain," said Dan
McKeen, Vice Chair and Senior Vice President Residential
Services, Bell Aliant. "The Going Off, Growing Strong
program provides life changing skills for youth that will not only
help the young people themselves but their community at large."
Join the conversation on Bell Let's Talk Day
On January 28, for every text
message, wireless and long distance call made by Bell Canada and
Bell Aliant customers, every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and every
Facebook share of that day's Bell Let's Talk Day image at
Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk, Bell will donate 5 cents more to Canadian mental health
programs.
In 2014, Canadians answered the call with a total of 109,451,718
messages including texts, wireless and long distance calls, tweets
and Facebook shares, meaning Bell added another $5,472,585,90 to its Bell Let's Talk funding
commitment. Based on its original $50
million donation and the results of the last 4 Bell Let's
Talk Days, Bell has now committed more than $67.5 million to Canadian mental health.
Bell's donations are made at no extra charge to Bell Let's Talk
Day participants, though normal long distance or text charges, if
any, apply.
The Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative
Bell Let's Talk promotes mental health based on 4 action pillars -
anti-stigma, care and access, research, and workplace best
practices. The initiative supports mental health leaders across the
country including the Royal Ottawa Hospital, Institut universitaire
en santé mentale de Montréal, Hôpital Charles-LeMoyne, Montreal Jewish Hospital, the Centre
for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the University of British Columbia, the Douglas Mental
Health University Institute, Queen's University, La Fondation du
Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, Concordia University, Brain
Canada, Kids Help Phone, Sunnybrook Hospital and Université Laval
Foundation.
The annual Bell Let's Talk Community Fund supports front-line
mental health organizations in every region of the country. The
Fund has provided grants of $5,000 to
$50,000 to hundreds of community organizations focused on
improving access to programs and services that support people
living with mental health issues.
To learn more about the Bell Let's Talk campaign, and to
download the Bell Let's Talk toolkit to help get the conversation
started, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
About BCE
BCE is Canada's largest communications company, providing a
comprehensive and innovative suite of broadband communication
services to residential and business customers under the Bell
Canada and Bell Aliant brands. Bell Media is Canada's premier
multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of
home and digital media, including CTV, Canada's #1 television
network, and the country's most-watched specialty channels. To
learn more, please visit BCE.ca.
SOURCE Bell Canada