- Talk, text and join in on social media and Bell donates to
mental health programs
- Watch the Etalk mental health special and the mental health
documentary Maman pourquoi tu pleures?
- Events taking place across the country
- Please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk to learn more
MONTRÉAL, Jan. 25, 2022 /CNW
Telbec/ - Tomorrow is Bell Let's Talk Day. We invite everyone to
join in the conversation by talking, texting and participating on
social media to support Canadian mental health.
"Led by Canadians at home and around the world, Bell Let's Talk
Day puts a spotlight on mental health. This year's campaign
encourages everyone to keep listening, keep talking and keep
being there for each other," said Mary
Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk. "As we continue to be
impacted by COVID-19, we can all play a part to stay connected, to
help improve our mental health and wellness, and help ensure mental
health remains a priority issue. We look forward to joining you in
the world's biggest conversation about mental health
tomorrow!"
Here are some of the Bell Let's Talk Day events taking place
today and tomorrow:
January 25
CMHA Edmonton Virtual Distress Line
fundraiser
Beginning at 8:30am
MT, this year's virtual fundraiser features mental health
advocate and strategist Mark Henick
sharing, "A Moment on the Edge: How Small Encounters Change Lives."
The presentation, drawn from Mark's life experiences, is emotional,
inspirational, and offers audiences ways to connect with and help
others. Proceeds from ticket sales support CMHA Edmonton's Distress
Line.
Greater Kingston Chamber of
Commerce mental health webcast
Beginning at 8:30am ET, the Greater
Kingston Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virtual breakfast
beginning with guest speaker Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde, Associate
Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Queen's University about
the mental health crisis affecting our workplaces and our
community. The event is free for Chamber members.
CORIM: Pandemic and mental health virtual
event
From 12pm to 12:45pm
ET, CORIM is hosting a discussion with the Honourable
Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada's
Minister of Health and Christine
Grou, President of the Order of Psychologists of Quebéc.
They will discuss, among other things, the effects of the pandemic
on mental health as well as the strategies put in place to
help.
It Gets Better Canada: A Queer Youth Mental Health
Panel
Join It Gets Better Canada at 7pm ET for an impactful conversation featuring
the unique lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Canada today as they tackle stories of
resilience, empowerment and shared learnings within the queer
community. Co-moderated by Icesis Couture, winner of Canada's Drag Race season 2 and Omid Razavi, Executive Director of It Gets
Better Canada, the free panel event will take place over Zoom and
will have a professional counselor available for anyone requiring
support during the talk.
Hot Docs at Home free virtual screening of Theo Tams: One Last Chance
In
partnership with Hot Docs, Bell Let's Talk, Workman Arts and Sick
Not Weak, Canadians can stream the world premiere of Theo
Tams: One Last Chance, a documentary
film about the Canadian Idol winner and his mental health journey
until January 26 on Hot Docs at Home.
The recording also includes a conversation held after the film's
premiere, featuring Theo, Co-Director Michael Landsberg and Chrystal Neault-Lount from the Rainbow Resource
Centre
January 26
Etalk: A Bell Let's Talk Day Special
Airing
at 6:30pm ET on CTV, Etalk will
dive into the deeply personal world of mental health as host
Tyrone Edwards connects with
leaders, professionals, and celebrities committed to the movement
to destigmatize and address mental illness.
Maman pourquoi tu pleures? : a documentary about perinatal
mental health
Jessica Barker
will host the documentary MAMAN, POURQUOI TU PLEURES?
The 60-minute documentary featuring experts and pregnant mothers
discussing perinatal mental health will air on Canal Vie a
7pm ET and will be available on Crave
and Noovo.ca.
TSN Highlights mental health & sports
Bell
Let's Talk Day content will be featured on SportsCentre, TSN.ca,
and across TSN socials, including interviews between TSN's
John Lu and Montreal Canadiens
winger Jonathan Drouin and Senior
Reporter Bob Weeks speaking with
Canadian golfer Alena Sharp.
SportsCentre will also share a feature on Toronto Six's
Saroya Tinker. Tinker plays defence
in the professional women's league, Premier Hockey Federation, for
the Toronto Six. At 12-years-old, she developed an eating disorder
because she was unhappy with the way she looked. Playing on an
all-white team, she found her Black female athlete body-type was
naturally different and she wanted to change it. Also suffering
from depression, her mental health issues hit a crisis point when
she left home to attend Yale. She
now finds therapy in her artwork, through music, and as a mentor to
young Black female hockey players through her foundation
Saroya Strong. Her current artwork
features female nudes and reflects her belief that every body is
perfect no matter the shape, colour, or size.
RDS supports mental health
Throughout the day,
RDS's flagship shows will feature interviews with athletes who
share personal stories on various mental health topics:
Mark Borowiecki of the Nashville
Predators (Sports 30), judoka Antoine
Valois-Fortier (Le 5 à 7), Jack
Evans of the Montréal Canadiens (Hockey 360), and
Louis Domingue of the Pittsburgh
Penguins (L'Antichambre).
The EN FORME section of the RDS.ca website will offer 12
informative segments on mental health. For the occasion, Valérie
Sardin spoke with sports psychologist Jean-François Ménard and
pharmacist David Gauthier.
Crave spotlights mental health
Crave's Mental Health Awareness Collection features scripted and
unscripted programming that explores mental health issues. The
collection includes films like Four Good Days, Sharp
Objects, and Silver Linings Playbook; documentary
content including 16 & Recovering, Couples Therapy,
and Crazy, Not Insane; drama series like In Treatment
and Succession; plus comedies such as Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh and
Work in Progress and Crave original French-language drama
series Sortez-Moi De Moi (Way Over Me), available with
English subtitles and English dub. The new CTV special, Etalk: A
Bell Let's Talk Day Special will also be available at
6:30 pm ET.
CTV digital platforms highlight mental health
CTV.ca and the CTV app will highlight Bell Let's
Talk Day programming across CTV shows in addition to specially
curated new and past collections focused on mental health
awareness, health and wellness, and discussions with experts in the
field of mental health. The new CTV special, Etalk: A Bell Let's
Talk Day Special will also be available on CTV.ca and the CTV
app at 6:30 pm ET.
CTV shows focus on mental health stories
CTV Your
Morning, The Marilyn Denis Show and The Social will feature a
variety of mental health stories, with guests including mental
health experts and Canadians living with mental health challenges,
and information and resources on how to support and get help for
loved ones.
Crave focuses on mental health
Crave brings together nearly fifty titles in a new collection
called Mental Health. WAY OVER ME, EUPHORIA, LA DÉTRESSE AU
BOUT DU RANG [DISTRESS ON THE RANGE], MOMMY, LA SANTÉ MENTALE : UNE
NOTE À LA FOIS [MENTAL HEALTH: ONE NOTE AT A TIME], RIRE SANS
TABOUS [LAUGH WITHOUT TABOOS], GÉNÉRA+ION [GENERA+ION],
ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MIND,
SANTÉ MENTALE : PLUS FORTS ENSEMBLE [MENTAL HEALTH: STRONGER
TOGETHER], LE POIDS DE L'OR [THE WEIGHT OF GOLD], and several
others.
TIFF mental health programming
Audiences are invited
to enjoy a free digital screening of Quickening, the
debut feature from Pakistani Canadian writer-director Haya Waseem. The film is an insightful
exploration of a young Pakistani Canadian woman's attempt to
balance familial obligations, cultural traditions, and personal
independence, and how this impacts her mental health. Join Waseem
and Soch Mental Health Co-Founder Maneet
Chahal for a conversation about Quickening and
mental health in the context of culture, identity, and belonging.
The film and conversation will be available to rent for free on
digital TIFF Bell Lightbox between January
26 at 10am ET and January 28 at 10am
ET. The conversation will also stream on TIFF's Facebook,
Twitter, and YouTube channels on January
26 at 12pm ET.
Lifeworks virtual mental health summit
Lifeworks is hosting an Employers Connect Virtual Mental Health
Summit at 11am ET where they will
share insights from an analysis of data from their Monthly Mental
Health Index™, with a view to the implications going forward and
actions employers can take to build resilience into their
businesses.
Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence join
the conversation
Beginning at 11am ET, the Canadian Armed Forces and Department
of National Defence will host a virtual mental health panel
discussion with Defence Team members, senior leadership and mental
health experts. The panel discussion will include Bill Matthews (Deputy Minister of National
Defence), LGen Frances Allen (Vice
Chief of the Defence Staff), Wanda
Boudreau (President Federal Government Dockyard Chargeheads
Association), MGen Marc Bilodeau
(Canadian Armed Forces Surgeon General) and Friend of Bell Let's
Talk Stephanie Richardson (Military Personnel Command, Honorary
Captain (Navy)).
Flag raisings will take place at select CAF locations across
Canada.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police focus on neutralizing mental
health stigma
Saskatchewan RCMP are hosting a
live virtual event at 10am CST with
mental health professionals to talk about mental health issues,
associated stigmas and how to neutralize stigma. Bell Let's Talk
flag raisings will also take place at select RCMP locations around
the country.
Notable landmarks light up blue
To mark Bell Let's
Talk Day, the cities of Toronto
and Winnipeg signs and BC Place
will light up blue.
Festival d'été de Québec : « Moment de réconfort
»
Le Festival d'été de Québec is highlighting the
exceptional work of mental health care workers by offering a «
Moment de réconfort ». Members of the team will deliver care
baskets to organizations working in the field.
Belleville Chamber of
Commerce: Let's Talk Over Lunch
Join the Belleville Chamber of Commerce beginning at
11:50am ET for a virtual chat about
mental wellness in the workplace and at home with Enrichment Centre
Executive Director Sandie Sidsworth.
The event is open to the public with no charge.
Writers Collective of Canada
event
Writers Collective of Canada will offer free virtual creative
writing workshops with a focus on mental health and well-being. The
volunteer-led workshops are open to anyone looking for community
and creativity, no writing experience necessary. Workshops take
place from 9:30-11:30am, 12-1pm and 7- 8:30pm
ET. Online registration is required and space is
limited.
Mental Health Research Canada virtual seminar
From 12pm to 3pm ET, MHRC will be
hosting a free virtual seminar featuring business leaders and
subject matter experts. This session is part of a series of events
intended to increase awareness about implementing mental health
strategies and will feature a panel discussion with Monika Mielnik, Director, Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion and Mental Health at Bell Canada, Nabeela Ixtabalan, EVP of People and Corporate
Affairs with Walmart and Megan
Kates, Associate Director & Headway Lead at Sklar Wilton
& Associates.
Mental health at work: prioritizing the well-being of workers
event
From 12pm to 1pm ET, the
Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal will bring together
a panel of business leaders who are concerned about
mental health. Danièle Henkel, Martin Énault (Relief) and Geneviève
Provost (Deloitte) will discuss available solutions and best
practices in mental health in addition to the mutual benefits
(employees-employers) of investing in the well-being and mental
health of workers.
Virtual event for Government of Canada employees: Spotlight on Peer
Support
The Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in
the Workplace, the Canada School of Public Service and the Federal
Youth Network will host a virtual event open to all federal
employees from 1pm to 3pm ET.
Participants will learn about the benefits of workplace peer
support programs and how to implement them, and will gain insights
from organizations that have already done so. Panelists include
Bell Let's Talk advisor and Co-Founder of the Canadian Peer Support
Network, Armaghan Alam and
Allison Dunning with Peer Support
Canada.
Coping with COVID: Building Resilience in Challenging
Times
Navigating Onward (a division of London Family Court Clinic) and
the London Middlesex Suicide Prevention Council are hosting an
online event, Coping with COVID: Building Resilience in Challenging
Times presented by Heather Fredin,
Counselling Psychology, Registered Psychotherapist from
1 to 4pm ET. This half-day session
will provide practical strategies for coping with uncertainty and
change.
Together Towards Recovery virtual conference
The In This Together Campaign is a national mental health campaign
that aims to raise awareness about the disproportionate impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and the well-being of
marginalized youth including members of BIPOC, newcomer,
disability, youth in and from care, and LGBTQ2S+ communities, and
highlight the current gap in mental health services. At
2pm ET, organizers are hosting a free
virtual conference, creating conversations between young people,
mental health organizations and decision makers to inspire action:
the establishment of a national post-pandemic mental health
recovery plan.
Forest Therapy Walks with Kawartha
Conservation
Led by Certified Forest Therapy Guide,
Kristie Virgoe, forest therapy walks
are an engaging way to reconnect with nature and yourself. Forest
Therapy is an exploration of nature and our connectivity with the
world around us. Time in nature improves our mental, spiritual and
physical well-being. This special walk takes place from
2pm to 3pm ET at the Ken Reid
Conservation Area.
Ontario Psychiatric Association hosts We're Listening
event
Hosted by Dr. Renata M. Villela, the
Ontario Psychiatric Association is holding a virtual event
beginning at 7pm ET focused on
creating safe spaces to discuss mental illness in the context of
equity, diversity and inclusion. Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa will
deliver the keynote address, highlighting her advocacy journey in
helping to address some of the unique mental health needs of
racialized populations.
Philippe Hudon at Selwynn
House
Former Concordia
University hockey player and Detroit Red Wings draft pick
Philippe Hudon knows mental illness
firsthand. His fixation with order, cleanliness and perfection
escalated until he spoke about his obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD). He will be speaking to youth at Selwyn House high
school.
Brandon Friendship Centre
Community members are
invited to share their healthy coping ways by adding a personal
piece on the Centre's Wellness Canvas to highlight their go-to
coping technique.
Noovo explores the challenges of mental health in
sport
Noovo presents the documentary, SURVIVRE AU SPORT.
Following Carey Price and a number
of elite athletes speaking out, Noémi Mercier meets with athletes to discuss anxiety
in the sports world. The documentary will be available at
10:30pm ET and on Crave, RDS and
Noovo.ca.
Exclusive content on the Noovo Moi website
Noovo Moi
is including in its Mental Health collection new episodes of the
web series ON CAUSE, which will be featured to provide support and
resources to people in need.
University and college student engagement
The
Bell Let's Talk Campus Campaign will reach more than 200
universities and colleges throughout Canada. The campaign features a digital
toolkit to help post-secondary institutions safely engage students
across the country. 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 the specialty item will support their
student mental health and well-being departments.
Flag raisings scheduled for January
26
Flags will be raised in communities across the
country including in Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, Wolf Lake
First Nation and Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the cities
of Baie-Saint-Paul, Belleville, Borough of Verdun, Brockville, Cape Breton Regional Municipality,
Corner Brook, Cornwall, Dauphin, Dorval, Fredericton, Greater
Sudbury, Halifax Regional Municipality, Iqaluit, Joliette, Kingston, Louiseville, Magog, Markham, Moncton, Montréal, North Bay, Oka, Ormstown, Ottawa, Peterborough, Pickering, Québec City, Saint-Donat, Saint
John, Sainte-Julie,
Sault Ste. Marie,
Summerside,Thunder Bay, Timmins,
Toronto, Vaughan, Westmount, Whitehorse, Winnipeg, the towns of Aurora, Burin, Churchill, Gander, Grand
Falls-Windsor, Hermitage-Sandyville, Huntsville, Mount
Royal, Paradise,
Torbay and the Governments of
Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Prince
Edward Island and Yukon.
To see all flag raisings taking place today, please visit
Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Flag raisings are also taking place at post-secondary
institutions across the country. The list is available here.
Join the conversation tomorrow!
On Bell Let's Talk
Day, Bell donates an additional 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 a driver 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:
Jacqueline Michelis
jacqueline.michelis@bell.ca
@Bell_LetsTalk
@Bell_News
SOURCE Bell Canada