Five of the Greater Toronto Area’s colleges — including Centennial College — have each received a $20,000 grant from Bell Let’s Talk to support student mental health initiatives.
It will work with George Brown, Centennial, Humber, Sheridan and Seneca Colleges to develop programming to support each dimension of the National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students.
Bell Let’s Talk is awarding $1 million in grants from its Post-Secondary Fund to 16 Canadian colleges, universities and cégeps to support the implementation of those flexible and voluntary guidelines, which come from the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
According to the 2021 survey by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, the pandemic has worsened pre-existing mental health challenges in 78 per cent of students. It has also created new challenges for 64 per cent. While some students remain optimistic, the percentage dropped by five per cent in the past year to 41 per cent.
On Bell Let’s Talk Day, January 26, Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long-distance call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk. The application process for the 2022 Bell Let’s Talk Post-Secondary Implementation grants will open in the spring.
Photo courtesy of CNW Group/Bell Let’s Talk.
