January 28 is Bell Let’s Talk Day, a nationwide initiative to help break down stigma surrounding mental health challenges. Across the University of Guelph, events are planned all day to help achieve that goal and to support the mental well-being of our students, faculty and staff.
Get active on social
All day
Everyone
On Jan. 28, Bell will donate 5¢ toward mental health initiatives in Canada for every text, call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk.
Take a selfie for a good cause! Be part of U of G’s Bell Let’s Talk Virtual Photo Booth. Snap a photo and share how you support your own and others’ mental health. Don’t forget to tag your own social media posts with #BellLetsTalk, #EveryActionCounts and #UofG.
Listen up – New Shine Cast podcast
All day
Everyone
On The Shine Cast, hear U of G students, faculty and staff discuss mental health, mental illness, how we cope and how we thrive throughout our journeys. This new podcast from the Wellness Education and Promotion Centre releases new episodes every other week.
Build your skills
Morning intro sessions and on-demand access to training
Everyone
Student Wellness is also offering two important mental health training opportunities on Jan. 28. Intro sessions start at specific times; training is available on demand.
- LivingWorks START – 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. – Learn suicide prevention skills, including how to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and how to connect them to help and support.
- Beyond the Books Training – 10 to 11:30 a.m. – Understand the prevalence of mental challenges and illness. Learn to identify signs of troubling behaviour and how to engage in discussion to determine if referral to a professional is needed.
Hear from a workplace mental health expert
1:30 to 3 p.m.
Faculty and staff
Wellness@Work invites all faculty, staff, post-doctoral researchers, sessionals and graduate student employees to attend the online event U of G, Let’s Talk, featuring Dr. Joti Samra.
Hear from renowned psychological health and safety expert Dr. Joti Samra. Learn strategies to help yourself and to help others. Come away with actionable steps to support your own and your colleagues’ mental well-being.
Stretch it out
3 to 4 p.m.
Everyone
Take part in a Mindfulness Yoga session on Instagram! Join the Student Wellness team – @wellness_uofg – from 3 to 4 p.m. on Jan. 28 for a yoga session to invigorate your body and mind.
On Jan. 28, let’s help break down the stigma together. And let’s keep our conversations going all year long.