Bell Let’s Talk Day: A national day for mental health
Today the Canadian Mental Association for Health is encouraging Canadians to discuss mental health. The national “Let’s Talk Day” is a partnership with Bell Media, who will donate 5 cents more to mental health initiatives for every text message sent, mobile and long distance call made, tweet using #BellLetsTalk and Facebook share of the Bell Let’s Talk image.
Six time Olympian Clara Hughes, who was a 2006 U of M Honourary Degree recipient, is the national spokesperson for the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative. Later this year, she will embark on a nation-wide 12,000 km, 110 day cycling trip for mental health awareness.
Mental health is a priority at the U of M as well. Over the past year, the university has been working on developing a mental health strategy, which will be released later this spring. Mental health consultant Stephanie Loewen has been part of the advisory committee informing the initiative.
Loewen says, “Mental health is essential to a person’s academic and job success, as well as their ability to participate fully and meaningfully in all aspects of their lives and throughout their lifespan. The campus mental health strategy development process is nearing the end, and the UM will be launching the strategy in the next month or so. I’m very proud to have been a part of the process that involved the experiences, ideas and expertise of faculty, staff, and students to inform what will be a holistic strategy focused on all UM community members.”
You can see more about the development of the mental health strategy here.