(rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

By Dan Hermanutz

MENTAL HEALTH

RDC flies Bell Let’s Talk flag

Jan 29, 2020 | 3:15 PM

January 29 marks the annual Bell Let’s Talk Day, a day to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and to talk about it openly.

For every tweet, retweet, text, call or social media view, Bell Canada will donate five cents to the cause.

Red Deer College was one of twelve post-secondary institutions across Canada selected to raise and display the Bell Let’s Talk flag.

“Mental health is an ongoing crisis that everyone faces, every person faces or is directly impacted whether it is them, a family member or a friend. It’s something that everyone can relate to,” said Brittany Lausen, President of the RDC Students’ Association. “We’re trying to build that understanding of what it means for each person, what your mental health means for you, what my mental health means to me. I think Bell Let’s Talk Day is creating that space to talk about it, to talk about what mental health means.”

Lausen added that students today can face many stressors in a post-secondary lifestyle, whether it be academics, trying to find a balance of work and relationship, or anything else. It can all create a weight on the shoulders of students that can build up over time, she says.

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“Students today face a lot of different pressures and stressors that affect them greatly. Our student food bank has been extremely busy in the last few years, which leads me to know that financial stress is a big one. I think everyone has to take that time and focus on their mental wellness.”

RDC President Dr. Peter Nunoda said that the school is looking at new programs to support students’ mental health. One is an online program that can provide counseling services to students in multiple languages.

“I think it’s big generally across the country for post-secondary education, our number one challenge is the student’s mental health. What we know is they can’t succeed in their studies if they don’t have that balance,” said Nunoda. “If there’s something going on that they can’t talk about, that’s going to interfere with heir ability to compete the programs that they are in. Were here to make sure they are successful so it goes hand in hand.”

Red Deer College has around 7,500 students on campus attending classes. All of those students have total access to all of RDC supports including counseling and financial support.

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