LONDON, ONT -- Over the noon hour Wednesday, Brescia University College held its third Bell Let's Talk Day in the St. James Auditorium - as the initiative to raise funds for mental health marked 10 years.
Brescia's interactive event included information booths, activities, complimentary food, hot apple cider and give-aways for all Western University students, faculty and staff.
Brescia’s Wellness Peers, a team of student “mental health champions” put on the event. The team has been instrumental in the creation of the recently launched Peer Support Space.
Cas Cozman, student coordinator of the Wellness Peers, says she hopes students will remember what they've learned at the event.
“I hope people will leave with more knowledge that it is okay to talk about mental health and that there are many strategies and ways to go about it, and it’s not necessarily about mental illness but it’s about taking care of yourself so you have a general overall mindset.”
A student attends a Bell Let's Talk Day event at Brescia University College in London, Ont. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (Jim Knight / CTV London)
When asked by CTV News why she attended this event, Victoria Barroso, a Western student, says, “Because Bell Let’s Talk is a really import event for university students especially."
She added that, "University is a really intense academic culture so I think being able to talk about our mental health and being able to support each other and being able to create a network of support among students is really important.”
Since its inception 10 years ago, the Bell Let’s Talk campaign has worked toward ending the stigma around mental illness.
How to support Bell Let's Talk Day
All day Canadians can participate in fundraising and raising awareness with a text, tweet, or through a variety of other social media interactions.
Over the last 10 years more than $100 million has been committed to mental health initiatives across the country.
Since its inception in 2010, 86 per cent of Canadians report that they are more aware of mental health issues.
Bell Let’s Talk promotes awareness and action with a strategy built on four key pillars: fighting the stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research and leading by example in workplace mental health.
Bell will donate towards mental health initiatives in Canada by contributing 5 cents for every applicable text, call, tweet and retweet, social media video view and use of the Facebook frame or Snapchat filter on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
How you can get involved:
- 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
- Facebook: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view and every use of the Bell Let’s Talk frame
- Instagram: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view
- 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
