Bell Let’s Talk at École secondaire catholique La Citadelle

On Wednesday, January 24, mental health promoters from the Canadian Mental Health Association Champlain East hosted a presentation at École secondaire catholique La Citadelle as part of the national Bell Let’s Talk campaign. This campaign, which began in 2010, aims to encourage conversation about mental health, mental illness and, above all, to reduce the stigma associated with them. Some 225 7th and 8th graders were chosen as the target audience, given that half of all mental illnesses occur before the age of 14. During the presentation, students received information about the characteristics and components of good mental health, discussed ways of recognizing mental illness and what they can do on a daily basis to reduce stigma. Each of them was then invited to write a message of hope and encouragement on a poster in the shape of a dialogue bubble, with the aim of affixing them to the walls of the school and posting them on social networks. The event concluded with a group photo session. Another photo was taken with the $20,000 cheque that the Canadian Mental Health Association Champlain East received from Bell Cause Let’s Talk, this is the second time CMHA Champlain East has been the recipient of $20,000. This community fund will be used to finance school and community activities such as this one.