Bell Let's Talk Day 2025 to Prioritize Youth Mental Health as Young Canadians Face Growing Crisis

• Bell to give $10 million towards mental health in 2025, bringing total Bell Let's Talk investment to $184 million since 2010
• Bell Let's Talk Day on January 22, 2025 to feature text-to-donate campaign in support of six youth mental health providers
• Bell to match Canadians' donations by text on Bell Let's Talk Day up to $1 million
• Youth mental health in decline according to new Mental Health Research Canada report

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 10, 2024 /CNW/ - As a new comprehensive national report released today by Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) shows there is a growing mental health crisis among young Canadians, Bell announced it will prioritize youth mental health on Bell Let's Talk Day (January 22, 2025) and will launch a text-to-donate campaign with 100% of the funds raised going to six youth mental health providers: Integrated Youth Services, Jack.org, Kids Help Phone, National Association of Friendship Centres, Strongest Families Institute and Youth In Mind Foundation.

Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk, Michael Cooper, Vice President, MHRC and Melissa Grelo, Co-Host of CTV's The Social are joined by youth representatives for the unveiling of a new national report on youth mental health. (CNW Group/Bell Canada)

On Bell Let's Talk Day, Canadians can give $5 by text with Bell matching all donations up to a total of $1 million, as part of Bell's $10 million mental health commitment in 2025.

Today on World Mental Health Day, Bell unveiled MHRC's new report on youth mental health at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). A Generation At Risk: The State of Youth Mental Health in Canada is the most recent comprehensive report of its kind, developed in collaboration with youth mental health providers, and featuring all-Canadian data and insights.

The report outlines recommendations and evidence-based calls to action for improvements in three key areas including: prevention and dedication, service quality, and access to mental health services.

MHRC Report – Key Statistics:

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death: Suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people in Canada, accounting for 21% of deaths; 24% of youth (16-24) report suicidal ideation.
• Priority youth populations: 2SLGBTQI+ communities, newcomers, Black and Indigenous youth have higher rates of poor mental health and experience barriers to accessing care.
• Early onset of mental health conditions: Youth are considered a vulnerable population with approximately 66% to 75% of mental health issues having an onset before the age of 24.
• Self-stigma: While young people are generally comfortable discussing mental health as a broad topic, they are less comfortable discussing their own mental health conditions.
• Unmet mental health needs: Approximately 1.25 million youth in Canada need mental health supports every year. Nearly 3 in 5 (57%) of those youth are not getting the help they need.
• Contributing factors: Mental health issues increased among youth before the pandemic and have worsened since then due to a combination of social disconnection, excessive screen time (6+ hours daily) and socio-economic challenges. In addition, 50% of youth (18-34) feel climate change negatively impacts their mental health.

Quotes

"As we mark World Mental Health Day, I am pleased to announce a $10 million commitment in 2025 to support Canadian mental health initiatives and help address the mental health crisis among young people. We have made great progress since we launched Bell Let's Talk in 2010, and we are proud to continue supporting organizations that are making a difference across Canada."

- Mirko Bibic, President and CEO, Bell Canada and BCE

"Youth urgently need access to more services to help them manage with their declining mental health. Bell Let's Talk will continue to support community-based organizations that are helping youth, and everyone, have access to mental health services and supports so people can thrive and achieve their full potential."  

- Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk

"We have seen a generational shift in youth embracing the importance of mental health. We have also seen a continuing decline in mental health indicators for youth. Both the opportunity and the need to address mental health in this population have never been higher. If we can intervene early with diagnosis and treatment, we can give our children the best opportunity for mentally healthy lives."

- Michael Cooper, Vice President, Mental Health Research Canada

The Bell Let's Talk Day text-to-donate campaign is made possible with the support of The Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC). MGFC is a registered charity that enables text message donations to be charged to donors' monthly cellphone bills as tax-exempt charitable gifts where 100% of donations are remitted to the intended charities. MGFC is operated by the Canadian Telecommunications Association.

About Bell Let's Talk
The largest-ever corporate commitment to mental health in Canada, Bell Let's Talk is focused on 4 key action pillars – Anti-stigma, Care and Access, Research and Workplace Leadership – and is a driver of Bell for Better. Since its launch in 2010, Bell Let's Talk has partnered with more than 1,500 organizations providing mental health services throughout Canada, including hospitals, universities, local community service providers and other care and research organizations. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

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SOURCE Bell Canada