With fall almost here, hockey season is just around the corner and so is another season of our Talk Today program. Going into it’s fifth year, Talk Today aims to promote the mental health of young athletes and spread awareness about the benefits of positive mental health throughout communities across the country.
At the heart of the Talk Today program is the relationship that is built between participating teams and their local CMHA branches. Each participating team receives the support of a local CMHA Mental Health Coach and participates in a mental health/suicide awareness workshop. Together with their local branch, teams also host a Talk Today awareness game, helping to promote positive mental health in their community.
Since its inception, the Talk Today program has trained over 3,000 players, coaches, staff and parents in safeTALK. This training teaches individuals the importance of talking about mental health, how to acknowledge signs of suicide, seek help when they’re in need of support, and connect others in need of support to suicide first aid resources.
Originally created as a program to support the Ontario Hockey League, the program has now grown to include the entire Canadian Hockey League, Algoma University, Sault College, the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, and the British Columbia Hockey League.