MONTREAL – The sixth annual Bell Let's Talk Day will take place on January 27, 2016, Bell confirmed Monday.
National spokesperson and six-time Olympian Clara Hughes is once again leading the campaign that invites all Canadians to talk, text, tweet and share to fight the stigma around mental illness. This year's Bell Let's Talk's campaign builds on the five simple ways to help support those who live with mental illness:
– Language matters – pay attention to the words you use about mental illness;
– Educate yourself – learn, know and talk more, understand the signs;
– Be kind – small acts of kindness speak a lot;
– Listen and ask – sometimes it's best to just listen;
– Talk about it – start a dialogue, break the silence.
Joining the mental health conversation on Bell Let's Talk Day not only supports those who struggle with a mental illness, but drives Bell's funding of mental health initiatives. For every text message, wireless and long distance call made by Bell Canada and Bell Aliant customers, every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and every Facebook share of the Bell Let's Talk Day image at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk, Bell will donate 5 cents more to Canadian mental health programs.
With a total of 122,150,772 interactions on Bell Let's Talk Day 2015, Bell committed a further $6.1 million in funding for Canadian mental health, bringing the Bell Let's Talk total to $73,623,413.80. The Bell Let's Talk Twitter hashtag was the second most popular Canadian hashtag in all of 2015 after the federal election, while Bell Let's Talk Day 2015 was the top trend on Twitter worldwide with 4,775,708 tweets.
Joining Clara again this year on the Bell Let's Talk team are TSN host Michael Landsberg, comedian Howie Mandel, entertainer Mary Walsh, and Québec personalities Stefie Shock and Michel Mpambara. New to the Bell Let's Talk team for 2016 are singer-songwriter Serena Ryder, actor Marie-Soleil Dion and CFL player Étienne Boulay.
Bell Let's Talk ambassadors professional golfer Andrew Jensen, comedian and writer Kevin Breel, CFL veteran Shea Emry, and musician Robb Nash once again join the team in sharing their own mental health stories. New voices this year are Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock and singer-songwriter Séan McCann.
"Over the past 5 years, Bell Let's Talk has made significant progress in increasing awareness and improving attitudes about mental health while also supporting significant new Canadian initiatives in care and access, research and workplace mental health," said George Cope, president and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada, in the news release. "Together, we've made a real difference. But mental illness continues to have a tremendous impact on individuals and families, our communities, our workplaces and our national economy. I would like to thank everyone who has been part of Canada's mental health movement over these past 5 years and welcome everyone to this year's campaign as we work to keep the positive momentum going."
