Nearly a year into this whole pandemic scenario and there’s no sign that things will be getting back to normal any time soon.
We’re seeing the backside of this second wave over the past week, especially so in the Outaouais, where the case counts never crested as high as other areas of the province.
However, there is another aspect of public health that’s worth considering at this point in the pandemic, and that’s . . .
mental health.
Just this past week, social media was hopping with everyone’s favourite bit of corporate reputation laundering, Bell Canada’s Let’s Talk campaign.
The concept is simple, for every hashtag, photo frame or doodad shared on various social media platforms, the megalodon of a company will donate a few cents to mental health charities. Not only do people get to “contribute” by clicking buttons from the comfort of their bedrooms, couches or toilets (no judgment here), but the company gets a tsunami of cheap, crowd-sourced advertising and good PR. Not a bad trade.
It’s true that the millions of dollars generated by this initiative have gone to a multitude of worthy causes, and it’s likely that’s going to happen for the foreseeable future.
However, it’s worth pointing out that over the past 10 years of the campaign’s operations, Bell has donated a little over $100 million. Last year they received around $120 million in emergency wage subsidies from the federal government.
For a company of that size, a few million a year is a drop in the bucket, especially if you factor in all image boosting it entails. But at the end of the day, a corporate fundraiser isn’t necessarily a bad thing, a few cents more for a couple clicks surely can’t hurt.
But as easy as that is, there are other causes within our own communities that we can seek out and support as well. We always hear about shopping local, but the same sentiment should apply to donations as well.
Autonhomme and L’Entourelle are two shelters that provide a haven for the most vulnerable people in our region. The Maison des Jeunes organizes much-needed sports and activities for youth across the Pontiac. The Pontiac community development corporation recently put out a series of videos highlighting some of these groups, and they’re worth a watch.
These and many more community organizations boost the Pontiac’s collective mental health in so many ways.
It should also be mentioned that while awareness and reducing the stigma around mental health issues is a laudable goal, it’s only the first step. In an area where mothers can’t even deliver their own children anymore, it’s no wonder that mental health services are also scant. There is a great amount of social and emotional damage that is going to be bubbling to the surface the longer this public health crisis goes on and we need to advocate for a more robust mental health care system.
Much like raising children, mental health is a community-based issue. While it can’t hurt to up the amount that one of our biggest telecoms donates to a good cause, supporting our local charities and non-profits is also a good idea this time of year.
Caleb Nickerson
