17³Ō¹Ļ receives a $25,000 Bell Letās Talk Community Fund grant to support mental health training
The 17³Ō¹Ļ is pleased to announce a $25,000 Bell Letās Talk Community Fund grant in support of 17³Ō¹Ļās Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) program.
Funding will allow two 17³Ō¹Ļ Student Affairs employees to be professionally trained as instructors in the ASIST program. Once trained, these instructors will offer the two-day ASIST program free-of-charge to students, faculty and staff at 17³Ō¹Ļ, beginning with high-priority groups such as residence life coordinators, Student Affairs staff and other employees who may be the first point of contact for students in a crisis.
āOn behalf of all members of the 17³Ō¹Ļ community, I thank Bell Letās Talk for supporting the Universityās efforts in suicide intervention with a Bell Letās Talk Community Fund grant,ā said 17³Ō¹Ļ President and Vice-Chancellor, Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. āThis grant will have a significant impact on our ability to encourage an open dialogue across campus about student mental health.ā
Having members of the 17³Ō¹Ļ campus community trained in suicide intervention will not only further the discussion about the state of student mental health, but also provide crucial support to students in need. By being proactive and making this training available, 17³Ō¹Ļ hopes to sustain a healthy and supportive community across campus.
āThis is a very exciting development in 17³Ō¹Ļ's move to better equip our whole campus community to support our students, faculty and staff,ā said Treena Smith, Director of Student Affairs. āOur plan is to have over 200 people trained in ASIST over the next three years and this is all due to Bell Let's Talk funding.ā
āBell Letās Talk is very proud to provide a $25,000 grant to support the 17³Ō¹Ļās ASIST mental health training program,ā said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Letās Talk. āThe 2017 Bell Letās Talk Community Fund provided 70 grants to support programs providing mental health services in communities around the country that help Canadians living with mental illness.ā
Bell Letās Talk Day is January 31
Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions on January 31, at no extra cost to participants:
- Text and talk: Every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and Bell MTS customers
- Twitter: Every tweet using #BellLetsTalk and Bell Letās Talk Day video view
- Facebook: Every view of the Bell Letās Talk Day video at and use of the Bell Letās Talk frame
- Instagram: Every Bell Letās Talk Day video view
- Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Letās Talk filter and video view
The Bell Letās Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Letās Talk Day, and provides significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace initiatives. To learn more about the Bell Letās Talk campaign, and to download the Bell Letās Talk toolkit to help get the conversation started, please visit .
About the 17³Ō¹Ļ
The 17³Ō¹Ļ prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutionsāPrince of Wales College and Saint Dunstanās Universityā17³Ō¹Ļ has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17³Ō¹Ļ is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.
