Bell announced earlier this week the growing youth mental health crisis will be the priority of its Bell Let’s Talk annual fundraising day for mental health, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Now in its 15th year, Bell Let’s Talk Day will feature a national text-to-donate campaign in support of six organizations that are addressing Canada’s youth mental health crisis. On Jan. 22, Canadians can donate $5 by text with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the six organizations, which include Integrated Youth Services, Jack.org, Kids Help Phone, National Association of Friendship Centres, Strongest Families Institute, and Youth In Mind Foundation. Bell says it will match all $5 donations up to a total of $1 million.
“For 15 years, Canadians have been all-in with supporting Bell Let’s Talk, which continues to move mental health forward for people across the country. We invite all Canadians to participate in Bell Let’s Talk Day and help support important organizations that are helping Canada’s youth in need of mental health supports,” Mary Deacon, chair of Bell Let’s Talk, said in a Monday press release.
In addition, Bell has committed to donating $10 million towards mental health in 2025, bringing its total Bell Let’s Talk investment to $184 million since 2010, according to the release.
Bell Let’s Talk has also launched a nationwide multimedia campaign to raise awareness of the mental health crisis facing Canada’s youth.
Furthermore, Bell Let’s Talk partnered with Mental Health Research Canada to prepare a comprehensive national report, A Generation at Risk: The State of Youth Mental Health in Canada, released in October 2024. The report shows suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people in Canada, accounting for 21 per cent of deaths. Twenty-four per cent of youth (aged 16-24) report suicidal ideation, according to the report.
The report also shows mental health issues increased among youth before the pandemic and have worsened since then due to a number of contributing factors including social disconnection, excessive screen time (6+ hours daily) and socio-economic challenges.
As part of this year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign, Bell Media will feature special mental health content in English and French across its TV, radio and digital properties, including a new French-language documentary, Les gars, faut qu’on se parle, available on Crave, Canal Vie, Canal D, and later on Noovo.
Image courtesy of Bell Let’s Talk
