Queen’s receives grant from Bell Let’s Talk to support student mental health

Queen’s receives grant from Bell Let’s Talk to support student mental health

April 16, 2021

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Queen’s is among 123 post-secondary institutions across Canada to receive an initial grant of $25,000 from the Bell Let’s Talk Post-Secondary Fund

This grant is being used to support the university's initial steps in implementing the new National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students, a set of voluntary guidelines that aims to help increase awareness, reduce stigma, improve life and resiliency skills, and create a healthier and safer educational environment. 

“As students continue to be affected by the pandemic  in so many aspects of their lives, the Standard will help us ensure we have the programs, services and resources in place to support their mental health and well-being,” says Ann Tierney, Vice-Provost and Dean, Student Affairs. “We are grateful to Bell Let’s Talk for this new fund that will help advance our ongoing efforts to support our students.”

The funding is being used towards the hiring of a full-time 12-month student intern position through the Queen’s Undergraduate Internship Program (QUIP), starting in May. The intern will work with campus partners to help complete a Standard self-assessment tool and then develop and initiate the implementation of the Standard, under the university’s Campus Wellbeing Framework.

This work also aligns with the Okanagan Charter, adopted by Queen’s in 2019, that calls on post-secondary institutions to embed health and well-being in all aspects of campus culture, and to lead human and environmental wellbeing promotion action, locally and globally.