- $1 million in grants awarded to
16 Canadian colleges, universities and cégeps to support mental
health initiatives
- More than 225 Canadian schools participating in the Bell Let's
Talk Campus Campaign leading up to Bell Let's Talk Day on
January 26
MONTRÉAL, Jan. 12, 2022 /CNW
Telbec/ - Bell Let's Talk today announced that $1 million in grants from the Bell Let's Talk
Post-Secondary Fund have been awarded to 16 Canadian colleges,
universities and cégeps to support them in implementing initiatives
that align with the National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for
Post-Secondary Students (the Standard) or the Québec Action Plan on
Student Mental Health for Higher Education (Québec Action
Plan).
According to the 2021 survey by the Canadian Alliance of Student
Associations, the pandemic has not only worsened pre-existing
mental health challenges in 78% of students, but it has created new
challenges for 64%, and while some students remain optimistic, the
percentage has dropped by 5% in the past year to 41%.
"Bell's commitment to student mental health is an ongoing
priority especially as students continue to be impacted by the
effects of the pandemic. We are proud to continue our support of
post-secondary institutions' efforts to expand, enhance or
establish programs that support student mental health and
well-being, and ultimately student success."
- Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk
To date, Bell Let's Talk has awarded over $4 million in grants to Canadian post-secondary
institutions, starting with more than $3
million in initial grants to over 120 schools in early
2021.
"Bell Let's Talk has been a leader in supporting the Standard
and as Chair of the Technical Committee for the Standard, I welcome
Bell's continued funding for institutional projects that support
our call to action. The first wave of funding in 2021 provided
opportunity for more than 120 campuses to complete self-assessments
to define next steps. This second phase of funding will support
development of programming that evaluates outcomes and efficacy in
creating strong mentally healthy environments. It will be exciting
to see successful and effective projects that can be shared with
others across the country."
- Janine Robb, Executive Director of Health &
Wellness, University of Toronto
Schools like Cégep de Sherbrooke are using Bell Let's Talk funds to
implement campus programs to support the current mental health
needs of their students.
"The Bell Let's Talk Post-Secondary Fund will contribute to the
development of a pilot project to integrate psychological health
concepts into certain courses starting this fall. We hope this
initiative will then be extended to all students in order to
provide them with concrete tools to promote their psychological
well-being and a healthy life balance."
- Marie-France Bélanger,
Executive Director of the Cégep de Sherbrooke
"We are thrilled to receive a Bell Let's Talk Implementation
Grant to help establish McMaster's
Student Urgent Response Team (SURT), a mental health outreach and
support service to assist our students facing a mental health
crises. The SURT will provide virtual and in-person services to
students. It will also help train educational staff and faculty to
more confidently provide assistance to students in crisis.
Strengthening programs and services in support of student mental
health is a collective effort, and we're very grateful for our
partnership with Bell Let's Talk."
- Sean Van Koughnett, Associate Vice-President
(Students and Learning) and Dean of Students, McMaster University
"We are very pleased to receive an implementation grant from the
Bell Let's Talk Post-Secondary Fund to create a new position
specializing in diversity wellness. This position will not only
support QTBIPOC students to identify and address needs for positive
mental health but it will also create wellness activities and
ventures, evaluate and make recommendations for programming and
develop training resources for faculty and staff. Our students'
voices are important to us and we recognize that a sense of
belonging is a strong predictor of academic success and improved
well-being for marginalized students."
- Dr. Paul J. Mazerolle, President and Vice-Chancellor
of the University of New
Brunswick
"We are truly thankful for our second Bell Let's Talk
Post-Secondary grant to advance our Peer Support Program for
Wellness. Our program is designed to work in partnership with our
Students' Association to provide a student-led support network who
can offer additional training, referrals, and inclusive and safe
spaces for students to collaborate in support of each other."
- Brandy Robertson, Wellness Student Success
Advisor, Assiniboine Community College
To see a complete list of the schools receiving grants and the
programs they plan to implement, please click here.
The application process for the 2022 Bell Let's Talk
Post-Secondary Implementation grants will open in the spring.
Bell Let's Talk 2022 Campus Campaign
Now reaching
students at more than 225 colleges, universities and cégeps in
every province and territory, this year's Bell Let's Talk Campus
Campaign continues to focus on our digital toolkit to ensure
post-secondary institutions can safely engage students in virtual
ways across the country.
The toolkit is designed to keep the student mental health
conversation going during the challenges of COVID-19 and contains
the following resources:
- virtual photo booth for students, faculty and staff to post
selfies and share personalized mental health messages
- wellness activities that encourage awareness and self-care
- a digital Bell Let's Talk flag to be shared on social media
channels and websites
- short films about mental illness, hope and recovery
Kids Help Phone and Jack.org events:
- Kids Help Phone Instagram Stories event on January 20 at 7pm
ET. Questions can be submitted on January 11 and 13 through Instagram Stories
- Jack.org virtual Jack Talk on
January 23 at 7pm ET. For more information and to register,
please click here
To see a complete list of participating colleges, universities
and cégeps, please click here.
Bell Let's Talk Day is January
26 – Join the conversation!
On Bell Let's Talk Day,
Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian
mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long
distance call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk, every
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter
and YouTube view of the Bell Let's Talk Day video, and every use of
the Bell Let's Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat lens. All at no cost
to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service
provider for online or phone access.
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 1,300
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
Katie Hatfield
Katie.Hatfield@bellaliant.ca
@Bell_LetsTalk
@Bell_News
SOURCE Bell Let's Talk