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A new partnership called Talk Today between the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is opening up the discussion around mental health.
The B.C. Division of the CMHA announced on Tuesday, October 6th that the partnership will increase mental health support available to the 17 BCHL teams. Each team will have a liaison available to speak about mental health, addictions, and provide referrals.
During a news conference held in Vancouver, Okanagan Rockets player Myles Mattila spoke. Mattila is a mental health advocate. “I wanted to become a mental health advocate because a few years ago I had a teammate that was going through some mental distress and he needed some help and at that point I didn’t have any resources that I could use to get him help.”
The 16-year-old used mindcheck.ca to learn more about mental health and ways to help others who are not feeling themselves. Mattila said this partnership is a step in the right direction. “Talk Today is really going to get people help. I think it’s a great thing for people to understand what is going on and to have the resources to help out.”
It was a great honour to speak at the talk today media launch #MentalHealth #BCHL #CMHA #TalkToday #SpeakUp pic.twitter.com/Pv5JztNuMB
— Myles Mattila (@myles_mattila12) October 6, 2015Although the Okanagan Rockets are not part of this partnership, General Manager Braeden Pistawka said thanks to Mattila the conversation regarding mental health is not taboo. “Myles is a strong voice and advocate in our community for mental health. He’s taken it on himself in the last few years, and he’s a role model to our organization. He’s pushed our staff in the last little bit and united a passion in us for this field as well.”
Pistawka continued by saying although there isn’t any initiatives in their league like Talk Today the team is leading their own. The Okanagan Rockets will be holding a fundraising event on November 19th with a portion of their proceeds going to mindcheck.ca.
Incredibly proud of our own @myles_mattila12 who spoke up today on mental health with @bchllive @CMHABC #TalkToday pic.twitter.com/UgoWWJya19
— Okanagan Rockets (@OkanaganRockets) October 6, 2015One Central Okanagan team however will be included in Talk Today and that’s the West Kelowna Warriors. Rylan Ferster, Head Coach and General Manager said the partnership is needed. “There’s a lot of pressure on young guys of course at any level as an athlete. You know with social media now everything is out there. Good or bad it’s out there instantly so it can be tough. Guys are away from home, they’re young, and then there’s the pressure of performing. I think it’s great to have another avenue or if there are issues they can be sorted out.”
Currently the Warriors can choose to be involved in bi-weekly team chaplain meetings. A chaplain provides support for players, coaches, administrators as well as their families.
According to the CMHA suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people in B.C. and approximately seven per cent of B.C. teenagers said they attempted suicide in the past year.
Mattila is planning future presentations and events in hopes that those statistics will go down in the near future.
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