People throughout Canada are talking mental health on Bell Let’s Talk Day, today. This year marks the seventh annual event. “The momentum in Canadian mental health we’ve all created together is truly incredible, but the stories of struggle we hear every day also make it clear that we have so much more to do. Let’s all get ready to roll on Jan. 25 with the messages of support that show mental health is on everyone’s mind,” Clara Hughes, Canadian Olympian and national spokesperson for Bell Let’s Talk, said in a statement about the event.
“Talking about mental illness has helped to reduce the stigma around this critical national health concern and resulted in real action in research, workplace mental health and access to care. Remember, your calls, texts and social media messages on Jan. 25 will drive Bell’s funding of mental health programs all year round, at no added cost to you. Let’s get ready to talk.”
On Jan. 25, Bell will donate $0.05 to Canadian mental health programs for each text and call on its network, each Tweet and Instagram post with #BellLetsTalk, each use of the Bell Let’s Talk Snapchat geofilter and each view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video at facebook.com/BellLetsTalk.
In 2016, Bell Let’s Talk Day set a new record, raising $6,295,764.75 through 125.9 million messages of support. The Bell Let’s Talk hashtag was the most used in Canada last year, and the most used in the world on the day of last year’s event. Since starting with an anchor donation of $50 million, Bell Let’s Talk has raised $79,919,178.55.
Visit www.bell.ca/letstalk for more information about mental health and ways to end its stigma, including a Bell Let’s Talk Toolkit and other resources.