WINDSOR, ONT. -- Talk, text and join in on social media for Bell Let’s Talk Day on Thursday.
The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 mean that now more than ever, every action counts in moving Canada’s mental health forward.
You can join the conversation to support those who struggle while also driving Bell’s donations to Canadian mental health simply by talking, texting and participating on social media.
“The stress and uncertainty of COVID-19 has impacted all of us, and the need for a heightened focus on the mental health of Canadians is clear,” said Mary Deacon, chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “We’re highlighting the actions we can all take during these challenging times to stay connected and enable better mental health for our families, friends and colleagues. We invite you to share your ideas, join in virtual events nationwide and make your voice heard on our 11th annual Bell Let’s Talk Day tomorrow!”
Here’s how you can 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, 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 filter. All at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access.
Since the first Bell Let’s Talk Day in 2011, Canadians and people around the world have sent a total of more than 1.1 billion messages of support for mental health, bringing Bell’s total funding commitment to $113,415,135.
In March 2020, Bell announced the extension of the Bell Let’s Talk initiative for another five years. Including the additional COVID-19 funding, Bell is now targeting a total corporate donation of at least $155 million to Canadian mental health programs. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Here are some of the Bell Let’s Talk Day events taking place Wednesday and Thursday:
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services will host a virtual gallery opening called Embroidered Stories today beginning at 11am ET. Showcasing traditional embroidered artwork of Arabic-speaking refugee women that symbolizes their migration journey to Canada, the interactive event will explore the benefits of art therapy in supporting good mental health. Arabic interpretation is available.
Canadian Olympic Committee documentary and webinar
Game Plan, Canada’s total athlete wellness program, invites athletes and members of the sport community to an exclusive viewing of the documentary The Weight of Gold, featuring Olympic champion Kyle Shewfelt. Beginning at 6pm ET tonight, the event also features a webinar discussion about athlete mental health led by Dr. Karen MacNeil, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Lead Mental Performance and Mental Health Consultant.
Protecting your mind: stories from Black tech
Bell and the Black Professionals in Tech Network present a panel discussion about the impact of COVID-19 and other challenges on the mental health of Black people with panelists including members of the Black Professionals at Bell network. The event takes place tonight from 6:30pm to 8pm ET and all are welcome to join.
Indigo on Instagram Live
At 7pm ET tonight on Instagram Live, Meghan Yuri Young, founder of the Sad Collective, will host a discussion with Mark Henick about his book So-Called Normal. Watch live on Instagram @Indigo.
Etalk Presents: Alanis Morissette
Etalk’s Traci Melchor sits down for an exclusive interview with trailblazing artist Alanis Morissette tonight at 7pm ET on CTV. The Canadian icon opens up about normalizing the mental health conversation, motherhood, her generation-defining album Jagged Little Pill and much more.
In This Together: A Bell Let’s Talk Day Special
On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Etalk’s Tyrone Edwards and The Social’s Melissa Grelo lead the mental health conversation as hosts of In This Together: A Bell Let’s Talk Day Special, premiering at 7pm ET/PT on CTV, CTV2 and Crave. The special highlights Canadians and their mental health journeys through a year of disruptions and unique challenges.
Crave highlights mental health
Crave’s Mental Health Awareness Collection showcases programming that explores mental health issues, including HBO’s Euphoria, I Know This Much Is True, and I May Destroy You; Crave documentary Rat Park; Canadian documentaries and films The Mind of GSP and The Grizzlies; and Bell Media’s original French-language productions Santé mentale : plus fort ensemble and La détresse au bout du rang.
TIFF mental health programming
TIFF is adding a free Bell Let’s Talk Day collection to the digital TIFF Bell Lightbox. The selection of short films exploring mental health will be available from January 28 to February 4 and includes A Woman’s Block; The Blind Stigma: Mental Health within the Black Community; Point and Line to Plane; and The Weight. TIFF will be hosting a digital conversation January 28 at 12pm ET with writer-director Rebeccah Love joining TIFF programmer Hoda Ali to talk about Love’s film A Woman’s Block and the power of cinema to spark action in mental health. The conversation will be simulcast across TIFF’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels.
Toronto Writers Collective event
Toronto Writers Collective 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 at 10am, 1:30pm and 7pm ET. Online registration is required and space is limited.
Cleveland Clinic Canada Webinar
Cleveland Clinic Canada will offer a free webinar to Canadian business leaders at 11am ET with a focus on prioritizing workplace mental health while also discussing the impact COVID-19 is having on the mental health of employees. Hosted by Dr. Cathy (CJ) Campbell, the expert panel will include Cleveland Clinic Canada CEO Mike Kessel, internal medicine physician Dr. Jeff Alfonsi and psychiatrist Dr. Claire Harrigan.
Virtual event for Government of Canada employees
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 12:30pm to 2:30pm ET. Panelists include Bell Let’s Talk advisor and 2020 Champion of Mental Health Dr. Christopher Mushquash, 2019/2020 Face of Mental Illness Onika Dainty, and Daniel Quan-Watson from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.
Canadian Armed Forces join the conversation
The CAF will conduct virtual mental health Q&A sessions and a panel discussion between Defence Team members, senior leadership and mental health experts across its social media channels, including Instagram and Facebook. Deputy Minister Jody Thomas and Vice Chief of the Defence Staff LGen Mike Rouleau, DND/CAF mental health co-champions, will host a virtual coffee talk with Defence Team members via Zoom at 12:30pm ET.
Indigo mental health events
In partnership with Indigo, Claire Zlobin, founder of Life With A Baby and Olivia Scobie, parental mental health counsellor, educator and author of Impossible Parenting, will be hosting a virtual conversation at 1pm ET about changing the culture of unrealistic parenting expectations and creating a new culture of mental health for parents.
Beginning at 5pm ET, parenting author Ann Douglas will be in conversation on @IndigoKids Instagram as she discusses her book Parenting Through The Storm: How to Handle the Highs, the Lows and Everything in Between.
Indigo will also be supporting the Canadian Mental Health Association with a donation of $2 for every copy of Grief & Loss & Love & Sex, Lara Margaret Marjerrison’s powerful story of grappling with her sister’s death, sold in store and on indigo.ca from January 28 to February 28, 2021.
CMHA Champlain East virtual round table
Join CMHA Champlain East beginning at 6:30pm ET for a virtual round table conversation on mental health with Executive Director Joanne Ledoux-Moshonas and special guests including Bernadette Clement, Angele D’Alessio, Mitch Dubeau, Chantal Larocque, Melanie Brulee, Ivan Labelle and Stephen Douris.
A Mental Health Talk with Creatives
DJ Starting from Scratch will host a virtual conversation about mental health on Twitch from 7pm to 9pm ET, featuring discussions with Ellie K Borden, Mark Brand and Dillon Casey about how artists, creatives and entrepreneurs can cope with mental health impacts.
La Presse live discussion with Sonia Lupien
Journalist Véronique Lauzon will host a discussion in French about stress management with Sonia Lupien, director of the Centre for Studies on Human Stress at the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal and professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal at 8pm ET live on lapresse.ca and on La Presse’s Facebook page.
University and college student engagement
The Bell Let’s Talk Campus Campaign will reach more than 200 universities and colleges throughout Canada. This year’s campaign features a digital toolkit to ensure post-secondary institutions can safely engage students across the country. Schools will also screen short films about mental health provided by the Au Contraire Film Festival.
Bell Let’s Talk flag raisings
Communities and organizations around the country are showing their support for mental health with Bell Let’s Talk flag raisings, following earlier ceremonies by the Borough of Verdun and the Douglas Foundation in Montréal, RMC Kingston, the Service de police de la Ville de St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Central Memorial Park in Calgary, the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Ottawa Senators and the City of Timmins.
