Jan. 30 is an important day this year, especially for post-secondary students
Wednesday, Jan. 30 is the 10th annual Bell Let’s Talk Day in Canada. In 2010, wireless service provider Bell initiated Bell Let’s Talk as a way to create dialogue around mental health. With each year, this mental health conversation has become more accessible to Canadians. Now it is an official day on the calendar for Canadians to log on to their social media and share stories of struggle and triumph along their journeys of mental wellness.
There are four pillars of Bell Let’s Talk to guide the nationwide discussion.
- Anti-stigma, which Bell describes as “driving the national conversation to help reduce this stigma and promote awareness and understanding.”
- Care and Access, which brings in mental health organizations and advocacy groups to help Canadians seek help.
- Research. Bell claims to be investing in “best-in-class” research on Canadian mental health and well-being programs.
- The company sheds light on workplace health, because mental illness is the leading cause of workplace disability in Canada. This pillar directs the discussion to employers, who should be aware of what their employees are going through if they want the best performance and wish for their employees to succeed.
Bell Let’s Talk applies to Canadians of all ages, but is incredibly important for post-secondary students. A 2012 research report released by Statistics Canada shows that mental illness is reported the most frequently by those aged 15 to 24 than any other age group in the study.
Students within this age group are also the most frequent users of social media, with most having their own computers and smartphones.
U of G students, get your thumbs ready because Bell donates five cents for every Tweet containing #BellLetsTalk. Last year, the hashtag reached 138 million interactions on Twitter, amassing millions of dollars toward the aforementioned mental health research.
In addition to Twitter interactions, the same donation is made when Instagram users watch Bell’s official Bell Let’s Talk video in the app, or when Snapchatters apply the official filter on their messages.
If you’re concerned about your mental health, the university has several services they provide including drop-in appointments with a counsellor Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. All resources provided by the university are covered by your school fees. In addition to on-campus programs, the Counselling Services website has many afterhours resources listed on their landing page.