IQALUIT and MONTREAL – Bell Let's Talk and Northwestel announced $250,000 in funding for a new mental health program to be delivered by Nunavut's Embrace Life Council, a non-profit suicide prevention organization based in Iqaluit.
Wednesday’s announcement was made during the second stop of six cities on a tour leading up to Bell Let's Talk Day 2017 on January 25. The safeTALK program will provide a half-day of training to Nunavummiut over the age of 15 to become suicide-alert peer helpers and connect those in their community who need support with life-saving intervention resources.
The safeTALK fundings is part of Bell Let's Talk and Northwestel's $1 million pledge to support mental health programs in Canada’s northern communities, which also includes funding for Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut Help Line, a free service providing anonymous and confidential telephone counselling in Inuktitut and English.
In related news, Bell Let's Talk will donate $250,000 to McGill University's Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – known as the Neuro – to fund the development of online mental health resources focused on the needs of multicultural communities.
The three-year project will enhance the online Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre at multiculturalmentalhealth.ca, expanding language options and content in Arabic, Farsi, Mandarin and other languages, and adding resources for adolescents, young adults and family members of people living with a mental illness.
