When it comes to mental health, every action counts! Join in the 10th anniversary Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 29 to discuss how we can all make a difference

• Mental Health: Every Action Counts is the theme of the 10th annual Bell Let’s Talk Day and we want to hear your stories and ideas about creating positive change
• Get engaged on social media, text and talk to lend your support – and drive Bell’s donations to Canadian mental health programs at no extra cost to you
• Visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk and discover some of the many organizations making a difference for people living with mental illness

MONTRÉAL, Jan. 6, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ – January 29 marks the 10^th anniversary of Bell Let’s Talk Day, and everyone is invited to join the world’s biggest conversation about mental health. The theme of this year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign is Mental Health: Every Action Counts, and we hope you can join the discussion about how we can all take action to create positive change for Canadians who live with mental illness.

“I look forward to joining with Canadians and people around the world as we celebrate the 10th annual Bell Let’s Talk Day and talk about the actions big and small we can all take to drive positive change in mental health,” said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of Bell. “2020 promises to be another year of progress in Canadian mental health, the first in a new decade of heightened awareness of the impact of mental illness and of the opportunities to make a real and enduring difference.”

“Canada has come a long way over the last decade in de-stigmatizing mental illness and increasing awareness of how it affects all of us,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “We can build on our progress by focusing on the real-world actions we can all take to support mental health in our communities, schools and workplaces. We can learn from trailblazers and from each other about how to make a difference, as individuals or in groups, for others or for our own mental health.”

Mental Health: Every Action Counts
With a nationwide multimedia campaign, this year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day theme highlights the ways we can convert awareness and acceptance into action. Whether by institutions or individuals – setting up one-stop-shops for young people to access mental health, wellness and social services, organizing your community or team to advocate for better access to care, supporting someone who struggles with kind gestures and other support, advocating for a family member, making your voice heard on social media, or even just taking the time to care for our own mental health – we can all take action to support people living with mental illness.

The Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign also features the work of 8 outstanding Canadian organizations providing frontline access to mental health services throughout the country: the Canadian Mental Health Association, Canadian Red Cross, Foundry, Jack.org, Kids Help Phone, Revivre, St. John Ambulance and Strongest Families Institute.

“Kids Help Phone is very proud to be part of this year’s Bell Let’s Talk campaign. As one of our Founding Partners, Bell has supported our work to support young Canadians from the start,” said Katherine Hay, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone. “Bell Let’s Talk has further enabled

Kids Help Phone to deliver critical innovations like 24/7 texting that help kids, teens and young adults access vital mental health support when they need it.”

Bell Let’s Talk will also be announcing new funding initiatives with more partner organizations, as well as the launch of the 2020 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund. The annual program provides grants up to $25,000 for local and grassroots mental health initiatives, and has supported 657 organizations in every province and territory since the launch of the fund in 2011.

Bell Media will also feature special mental health programming in English and French across its TV, radio and digital properties. Production is also under way on a primetime CTV Bell Let’s Talk Day feature for January 29, the highlight of a full day of programming as Bell Media keeps Canadians up to date on the mental health conversation.

The Bell Let’s Talk Day team
Bell Let’s Talk is pleased to welcome the ongoing support of the Friends of Bell Let’s Talk, and our passionate spokespeople whose stories about their own experiences with mental illness inspire us all. The team includes Olympian and Bell Let’s Talk founding spokesperson Clara Hughes, Howie Mandel, Marie-Soleil Dion, Michael Landsberg, Michel Mpambara, Stefie Shock, Mary Walsh and Étienne Boulay, as well as community ambassadors pro golfer Andrew Jensen, retired CFL player Shea Emry, veteran Bruno Guévremont, comedian Jessica Holmes, musician Florence K and actress Véronique Bannon.

“We have made such tremendous progress over the past 10 years by talking about mental health and sharing our stories with you,” said Clara. “The momentum we’ve all created for positive change is truly amazing, so let’s keep it going on Bell Let’s Talk Day by talking about the actions we’re all taking to make a difference in the lives of people who struggle with mental illness.”

Join the conversation on Bell Let’s Talk Day and make every action count!
On January 29, Bell Let’s Talk flags will fly all across the country and Canadians from all walks of life and every corner of the country get engaged in the mental health conversation. By participating across a wide range of communications platforms on Bell Let’s Talk Day, you also directly drive Bell’s donations to Canadian mental health programs.

Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions on Bell Let’s Talk Day, at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service providers for online or phone access:

• Talk: Every mobile and every long distance call made by Bell wireless and phone customers
• Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers
• Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring the special Bell Let’s Talk emoji, and every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk
• Facebook: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and every use of the Bell Let’s Talk frame
• Instagram: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view at Instagram.com/Bell_LetsTalk
• Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let’s Talk filter and every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view
• YouTube: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view at YouTube.com/BellCanada

Bell Let’s Talk Day 2019 generated 145,442,699 messages across all platforms, growing Bell’s funding for mental health by an additional $7,272,134.95.

Since the first Bell Let’s Talk Day in 2011, Canadians and people around the world have sent a total of more than 1 billion messages of support for mental health, bringing Bell’s total commitment to $100,695,763.75, which includes the company’s original $50 million anchor donation when Bell Let’s Talk launched in 2010.

Already the most-used Canadian hashtag of all time, #BellLetsTalk was once again the top Twitter trend in Canada and worldwide in 2019, while the Bell Let’s Talk Day video was retweeted more than any other tweet in Canada.

About Bell Let’s Talk
The Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative is focused on 4 key action pillars: Anti-stigma, Care and Access, Research and Workplace Leadership. Since its launch in September 2010, Bell Let’s Talk has partnered with more than 1,000 organizations providing mental health services throughout Canada, including major donations to hospitals, universities and other care and research organizations.

To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

Media inquiries

Jacqueline Michelis
613 785-1427
jacqueline.michelis@bell.ca
@Bell_News
@Bell_LetsTalk

SOURCE Bell Canada

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