- Clara Hughes leads a mental
health conversation now spanning Canada and the globe
- Leaders and celebrities at home and worldwide join the chorus
for acceptance and action
- Bell Let's Talk once again the top Twitter trend in
Canada and most used around the
world
- On our way to breaking $100
million: Bell's total donation to mental health programs now
stands at $79,919,178.55
MONTRÉAL, Jan. 28, 2016 /CNW
Telbec/ - Bell Let's Talk Day 2016 set all-new records as
Canadians and people everywhere joined Clara Hughes, the Bell Let's Talk team, and you
in what has become by far the biggest mental health campaign in the
world.
"Canada, you rock! We know the need to talk about mental illness
is clear, and I know from my travels all around the country that
Canadians want to make a positive difference for those who
struggle, and you have. But I'm truly overwhelmed by the depth and
breadth of the non-stop conversation about mental health this year
and by what we've all built together," said Clara, Canada's 6-time
Olympic medalist and Bell Let's Talk national spokesperson since
the initiative began in 2010. "We're the leaders. Canadians are
well known for our compassion, and now we're setting a great
example for people around the world who want to move mental health
forward in their own nations, to talk openly about mental illness,
and to fight the stigma every day as we do. Hey, was I proud for
Canada when I saw our Prime Minister talking so openly and
positively about mental illness? Did I cry? Yes and yes!"
Over the 28.5 hour period between midnight Newfoundland time and midnight Pacific time, Bell Let's Talk Day 2016
tallied 125,915,295 total interactions, including wireless
calls, long distance calls and texts by Bell customers, and tweets
and Facebook shares supporting Bell Let's Talk by people around
Canada and worldwide. That's a 3.1% increase over the 122,150,772
total interactions on Bell Let's Talk Day 2015. With Bell's
donation of 5 cents per interaction,
at no extra charge to participants, that's $6,295,764.75 more
for Canadian mental health programs.
"People ask me, is just one day like Bell Let's Talk Day really
enough to take on a health crisis so pervasive, that affects all of
us in some way, that has been so incredibly difficult to move
forward for so long? And I say, but it isn't just one day. It's the
kickoff to a conversation we want and need to have every day, and
one that I think we are increasingly having all year long. It's the
day when we all say: We won't allow the stigma, we won't allow the
silence anymore, we're ready to make mental health part of our
lives from this day forward. All year long. Lifelong," said Clara.
"And let's not forget... Bell grows its donation to mental health
with every message sent, and that donation funds advances in care,
research and grassroots mental health initiatives every day of the
year."
The top Twitter trend in Canada
yesterday, #BellLetsTalk was the most-used hashtag in
the world, with 6,826,114 total tweets and retweets – 43% more
than last year. The #stopthestigma, #endthestigma,
#mentalhealthawareness and #sicknotweak hashtags also trended
throughout the day.
Support came from Canada's most prominent leaders including
Governor General David Johnston and
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as
well as the Royal family with tweets from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Will and Kate and Prince Harry too. During a special
primetime airing of The Social, Prime Minister Trudeau shared his
own experiences in a deep and personal conversation that included
the studio audience.
All day long, Canadian party leaders, members of Parliament,
provincial and territorial premiers and ministers, mayors and
councillors, Olympians, professional sports teams and players,
major corporations and a broad range of the most high-profile
Canadian, US and global entertainers and other celebrities drove
hundreds of thousands of retweets from fans and followers. To see
these conversations, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
"To Clara, to our tremendous Bell Let's Talk team, and to
everyone who is helping move the cause forward, thank you for
joining and growing Canada's mental health conversation like never
before. Your participation continues to drive Bell's donations to
mental health programs and we're excited at the impressive new
initiatives we've been able to partner with already this year,"
said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell
Let's Talk. "The all-Canadian Bell
Let's Talk has become a worldwide phenomenon, underlining
what I think is a global aspiration for a major move forward in the
way we view mental illness and practice mental health.
Congratulations everyone, and thank you!"
New Bell Let's Talk projects
Bell Let's Talk has
announced several new projects already in 2016, including a
national psychological first aid training initiative with the
Canadian Red Cross; a $1 million
grant to l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec to
fund groundbreaking research into early diagnosis of mental illness
in young people using retinal scans; an initiative to support
adolescents at risk in Yukon with
trained mental health facilitators under the FRIENDS intervention
program; and, in a $1 million
partnership with Royal Bank, support for Rise Asset Development's
low-interest small business loans, training and mentorship programs
for men and women with a history of addiction or mental health
challenges. These organizations join the more than 600 partners in
every region of Canada supported by Bell Let's Talk since 2010.
Thank you to partners and friends
Bell Let's Talk
extends sincere thanks and appreciation to the almost 300 Canadian
corporations, hospitals and universities, governments, the Canadian
Armed Forces, professional sports teams and associations, Bell
community and mental health partners, chambers of commerce, and
schools, colleges and universities across Canada that joined the
conversation through events, promotions and advertising, social
media, newsletters and websites.
The 2016 Bell Let's Talk team
Clara Hughes leads a Bell Let's Talk team that
includes TSN host Michael Landsberg,
comedian Howie Mandel, entertainer
Mary Walsh, and Québec personalities
Stefie Shock and Michel Mpambara. New to the team for 2016 are
singer-songwriter Serena Ryder,
actor Marie-Soleil Dion and retired
CFL player Étienne Boulay.
Bell Let's Talk ambassadors professional golfer Andrew Jensen, comedian and writer Kevin Breel, CFL veteran Shea Emry, and musician Robb Nash return to the team again this year as
well, sharing their own mental health stories and encouraging
Canadians to add their voices to the conversation. Bell Let's Talk
is also pleased to welcome three more new voices this year, Toronto
Maple Leafs Head Coach Mike Babcock,
legendary music producer Bob Ezrin
and singer-songwriter Séan McCann.
Bell Let's Talk Community Fund
The annual Bell Let's
Talk Community Fund supports organizations focused on improving
access to programs and services to improve the mental health and
wellbeing of people living with mental health issues from coast to
coast to coast. Applications are now being accepted for the 2016
Bell Let's Talk Community Fund. The 2016 application period is open
until March 31 and all 2016 Fund
grants will be disbursed before December 31,
2016. To apply for 2016 funding, please visit
Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
5 simple ways to fight the stigma around mental
illness
The Bell Let's Talk's campaign continues to build on the 5
simple ways to fight the stigma of mental illness developed by Dr.
Heather Stuart, the first Bell
Mental Health and Anti-Stigma Research Chair at Queen's University.
Learning the 5 ways enables anyone to engage in conversations about
mental health in a manner that helps those living with mental
illness and its stigma.
- Language matters – pay attention to the words you use about
mental illness
- Educate yourself – learn, know and talk more, understand the
signs
- Be kind – small acts of kindness speak a lot
- Listen and ask – sometimes it's best to just listen
- Talk about it – start a dialogue, break the silence
About Bell Let's Talk
Bell Let's Talk promotes mental
health based on 4 action pillars: anti-stigma, care and access, new
research, and workplace best practices. Bell Let's Talk was
originally launched in September 2010
as a 5-year program with a $50
million donation from Bell, and a commitment to grow its
funding based on the engagement of Canadians in the cause on Bell
Let's Talk Day. In September 2015,
the fifth anniversary of the initiative, Bell announced it would
extend Bell Let's talk a further 5 years and commit to at least
$100 million in funding for Canadian
mental health – and based on continued growth in your participation
on Bell Let's Talk Day, we are well on the way to greatly exceeding
that number.
With approximately 598,383,571 million of these
interactions by Canadians over the last 6 Bell Let's Talk Days,
Bell's total commitment to mental health has now grown to
$79,919,178.55. Since 2010, Bell
Let's Talk has supported more than 600 organizations from the
largest healthcare institutions and universities to the smallest
grassroots mental health organizations in every province and
territory.
Making a difference
A 2015 Nielsen survey undertaken
on behalf of Bell Let's Talk found that 81% of Canadians were more
aware of mental health issues than 5 years ago, 70% think attitudes
about mental health have changed for the better, and 57% believe
the stigma around mental illness has been reduced.
The numbers are even more impressive among young people aged 18
to 24: 87% are more aware of mental health issues than 5 years ago,
79% think attitudes are better, and 65% believe stigma has been
reduced.
To learn more about Bell Let's Talk, please visit
Bell.ca/LetsTalk. To view our 5-year Progress Report, please visit
Bell.ca/LetsTalkProgressReport.
About Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications
company, providing consumers and business customers with wireless,
TV, Internet, home phone and business communications services. Bell
Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in
television, radio, out of home, and digital media. Bell is wholly
owned by Montréal's BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For more
information, please visit Bell.ca.
Media inquiries:
Jacqueline Michelis
Bell Media Relations
613 785-1427
jacqueline.michelis@bell.ca
@Bell_News
SOURCE Bell Canada