Let’s talk.
It’s a phrase that used to be a way to start a simple conversation.
Now, the conversation has been started, and it’s based around mental health.
We just had Bell Let’s Talk day at the end of the month, and the movement continues to break records.
Since its creation in 2010, Bell’s Let’s Talk initiative has created a major stir in the media, starting the talk about mental health in Canada.
The initiative uses social media to help spread the word about mental illness, and Bell donates a certain amount of money with each message and post depending on the platform.
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Every single year has seen an increase in participation, with more social media platforms making use of it including Snapchat and Instagram.
131,705,010 Bell Let’s Talk interactions were made in the 28.5 hours that the initiative was active across Canada, including text messages, phone calls, tweets and Instagram posts using #BellLetsTalk, views on Bell’s Let’s Talk live Facebook video, and the use of Snapchat’s new geofilter, and five cents were donated with each interaction.
Members of the University of Lethbridge athletic teams have been trying spread the word this year, including the curling team that’s in its first year.
Krista Shortridge, a member of the team, says that everyone needs support sometimes, and that this provides a great opportunity.
“I’ve had a pretty hard year myself, I’ve had a lot of things going on and so it’s really kind of enlightened me on how important it is to listen to those around you.”
Kirsten Krassman, a teammate of Shortridge’s, says she’s proud of the what her team has done to get the message out.
“We really wanted to get it out there through a sport that not many people really know, and with a couple of our players, we really took it to heart, and we wanted to make sure that people weren’t just effected and projected with this for just one day, we wanted them to know they can talk about it all the time.”
The initiative is to raise funds for mental illness research, but most importantly to break the stigma behind mental illness. This year, they raised 6,585,250 dollars.
Though Let’s Talk day has ended, that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about mental illness. If anyone you know is being affected, the best thing you can do for them is be there for them anytime when they need to talk.
