It’s that time of year again. The holidays are over, a new year is upon us, and Bell’s signature mental health campaign is back.
In the seven years since Bell began their campaign to educate people about mental health and spread awareness and understanding about mental illness, Bell has donated over $79 million to mental health initiatives across Canada – and CAMH has been a proud partner every step of the way.
But Bell Let’s Talk wouldn’t be a success without the efforts of people across Canada (and even many from other countries), who show their support by using social media, sending text messages and making long distance calls. This year will be even bigger, and Bell is giving us more opportunities to take part.
On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell will donate five cents for:
- Each text message you send on the Bell network
- Every mobile and long distance call you make on their network
- Individual Tweets and Retweets that use the hashtag #BellLetsTalk
- Instagram posts using the hashtag #BellLetsTalk
- Every time someone watches the Bell Let’s Talk video on Facebook
- Each time a Snapchat snap is sent using the Bell Let’s Talk geofilter.
So what can you do to prepare? Here’s a handy list of tips to make the most of BLTD.
- Have an iPhone? Turn off iMessage if you’re on Bell’s mobile network to make sure your texts are being counted.
- Schedule your #BellLetsTalk tweets using Tweetdeck or Hootsuite so that they all come out on January 25. And remember, the campaign is Canada-wide –thanks to our timezones, there are more than 24 hours to the day.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Not everyone is a subject matter expert, and there are lots of people who are more than willing to provide explanations on even the most basic terms and concepts around mental illness.
- Follow reputable mental health organizations on social media for ideas on what you can share, and discover relevant content about mental health.
- Update your profile photo and cover image on Facebook and Twitter, even if just temporarily. It’s a good reminder to friends or followers who may not be up to speed on the importance of mental health awareness (or are really bad with remembering dates).
- Use the Quote Retweet function on Twitter to provide your perspective on a Retweet.
- Get together with friends, family, coworkers and classmates to actually discuss mental health in person in an open-minded, supportive and understanding way. Social media may be where the donations are coming in, but lunchroom, water cooler or dinner table discussions will allow people to share personal insights on mental health.
Do you have any tips to share? Leave them in the comments below, and make sure to visit Bell’s official Bell Let’s Talk landing page at http://letstalk.bell.ca to learn about other ways to get involved.