Unsinkable, Kids Help Phone, and Bell Media are teaming up to present the brand-new one-hour special UNSINKABLE YOUTH, an inspiring and unforgettable multi-platform celebration in support of Canadian youth. Hosted by Olympian and Unsinkable founder Silken Laumann and NEVER HAVE I EVER star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the event will raise awareness of the current mental health crisis among Canadian youth and features musicians, performers, and athletes including Johnny Orlando, Hailey Wickenheiser, Jacob Tremblay, The Reklaws, Tessa Virtue, Wali Shah, Lauren Orlando, Lennon Stella, and many more to be announced. The one-hour event airs on Friday, May 22 at 1 p.m. ET on CTV and everywhere CTV content can be found, as well as Facebook and YouTube.
“Kids Help Phone has seen unprecedented numbers in recent weeks – outreach has more than doubled across Canada. Clearly, Canadian youth are in crisis and more than ever, they need to be heard, reassured, and empowered during these very uncertain times,” said Silken Laumann, Olympian/Founder, Unsinkable. “UNSINKABLE YOUTH is a unique opportunity to create a meaningful dialogue around mental health specifically about and for young people. This is also a chance to thank Canada’s youth for their courage and the sacrifices they have made these past few months. We know they have had to miss out on some of their favourite things – with UNSINKABLE YOUTH, we wanted to create an event and a groundswell of appreciation and support that they can’t miss. Our young people in many ways have been hit the hardest, because they have lost things they can’t get back – high school graduation, their championship game, their grade ten crush.”
“We are so proud and honoured to work with Kids Help Phone and Bell Media who share our vision for creating a sense of community across the country to help all Canadians achieve better mental, physical and spiritual health,” continued Laumann.
“For all young people across the country the COVID-19 crisis can be overwhelming and frightening – we are intimately aware as we’ve seen an enormous surge in mental health service requests via phone, text and chat from youth across the country experiencing anxiety, fear and isolation,” said Katherine Hay, President and CEO, Kids Help Phone. “We are truly grateful to Unsinkable, and their incredible partners, for helping lift the spirits of young people across the country. They have been through so much. Unsinkable Youth is an opportunity to celebrate their strength and lift spirits across the country.”
“CTV aims to bring families closer together with this special as it shares vital, relatable, and powerful messages that are felt by so many youth across the country,” said Mike Cosentino, President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. “With the significant impact of mental health struggles right now, we hope the one-hour special ignites conversations to support our youth and is a resource of entertainment during this time of uncertainty, with appearances and performances from some of Canada’s biggest stars, musicians, and athletes.”
Kids Help Phone Stats
- Outreach to Kids Help Phone has more than doubled across Canada during the COVID-19 crisis;
- Outreach doubled in Nova Scotia following the mass shooting;
- Demand for service remains 63% higher on texting platforms, 55% higher through phones;
- Kids Help Phone conducts 5 – 10 active rescues for people in danger of suicide per day.
Unsinkable will launch youth dedicated social media handles May 15th, 2020.
