Game-Day Guide

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .2Game-Day Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .2

1 . Branding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .22 . CMHA Branch Kiosks/Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .33 . Athlete Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .44 . Public Address/Video Board Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . P .55 . Talk Today Placards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .66 . Pre-Game Ceremonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .77 . Fundraising/Other Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .7

Communications Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .81 . Talk Today Website Banner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .82 . Social Media Plan and Sample Tweets/Posts . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .93 . News Release Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .124 . CMHA Branch Key Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .14

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P .16

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IntroductionMental health and suicide-prevention awareness games are core components of Talk Today . Why? Because these games have positive implications for everyone involved in the program . Talk Today provides sports organizations and their athletes an opportunity to further exhibit community leadership . By participating in awareness games, they’re helping to destigmatize mental health issues . Also, staff of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) are able to use these games to share information about programs and services that benefit the broader community . For fans attending the games, it’s an opportunity to learn more about local mental health and suicide prevention services .

Teams in a participating league should try and cluster all game events in a particular window of time (e .g . a week, two weeks, a month) . Clustering the games allows the league and CMHA to gain concentrated exposure through social and traditional media .

To help you host successful game-day events, the CMHA has developed this guide . The guide is divided into two sections: 1) game-day elements and 2) communications elements that support the game days .

Game-Day Elements

1. Branding

CMHA has created these Talk Today logos . The logos (which are links to customizable templates) provide flexibility for provincial or local use . Local CMHA branch and team logos can be inserted into these designs . These logos can help recognize a branch relationship with a sports league or local club . These logos should be used for:

• Talk Today program materials that are local or provincial in scope .

• Jointly-branded materials/events created by a CMHA branch and local club .

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• Jointly-branded materials created by a CMHA provincialdivision and provincial (or broader) league .

The colour palette used for the CMHA Talk Today logo is on the right . Click on the image for a magnified view .

2. CMHA Branch Kiosks/Tables

The local CMHA branch will set up a kiosk/table for the game days and distribute materials about Talk Today and other programs to fans in attendance . 

The branch should work with the club to determine set-up time, location, access, etc ., and note any restrictions .

In some instances, local branches have distributed swag (e .g . toques or stress pucks) to fans . Should a branch wish to do a giveaway, clearance must be received by the team or league .

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3. Athlete Videos

Should teams have capability, the recommendation is to have players read the provided scripts on camera in advance of the games .

The videos can then be played on scoreboard screens during the games, on team and CMHA branch websites and social media accounts .

Length: 15 seconds .

Click images to play .

CMHA has developed the following scripts for video announcements:

a) “Hockey can be tough . Talking shouldn’t be . Our partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, presented by Teachers Life, reminds players to take mental health seriously . You should, too .”

b) “We all go through tough times . We can ask for help from the Canadian Mental Health Association . You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help either .”

c) “Through the Talk Today program, our team has support from the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association . The CMHA is there for you, too .”

If video production is possible, it’s recommended that one of the Talk Today logos be added to the end of the video .

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4. Public Address/Video Board Announcements

Clubs routinely read public address announcements during stoppages in play . The template scripts provided can be altered to include local team names and read during those stoppages . Length: 15 seconds .

There are also corresponding video boards to accompany each announcement . The video boards can be altered to suit the needs of the local sports organization and CMHA branch .

a) “Today’s (club name) game is dedicated to Talk Today, theleague’s mental health program presented by Teachers Life . TheCanadian Mental Health Association works with the (club name)to foster positive mental health . The CMHA can help you, too . Visit the kiosk, located at (location), for more information .”

• Use video board shown (which is a link to a high resolutiontemplate version) when reading this message . Pleaseincorporate your local CMHA branch and team/league logo .

b) “The Canadian Mental Health Association is working with the(club name) and the rest of the (league name) on the league’smental health program, presented by Teachers Life . You can doyour part . Use the hash tag Talk Today and keep the conversationabout mental health going online .”

• Use video board shown (which is a link to a high resolutionversion) when reading this message .

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5. Talk Today Placards

Teams and CMHA Branches can print Talk Today placards that have been designed by the league . The signs include the slogans provided below and the hashtag #TalkToday . A photo taken of a player holding the placards is an image that can be used in several ways .

For example, some clubs have posted the images on video boards during game days while other clubs and CMHA branches have used the images on social media before, during and after the game . Placards can also be used at game-day kiosks to give fans the opportunity to take pictures with the placards . The local CMHA branch and team can also share those fan pictures on social media .

a) There is strength in speaking up . #TalkToday

b) It’s OK to ask for help . #TalkToday

c) I will help you get help . #TalkToday

d) You are not alone . #TalkToday

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6. Pre-Game Ceremonies

Where possible, teams should invite CMHA branch staff to participate in a pre-game ceremony . In the case of hockey, a ceremonial puck drop and photo opportunity .

7. Fundraising/Other Elements

Teams and CMHA branches can add more elements to further enhance the awareness games . For example, CMHA branches have benefited from 50/50 draws or chuck-a-puck fundraising efforts at the games . CMHA staff should ask team staff if this is possible .

Free tickets have also been issued to CMHA branch staff and clients as a way to display a cohesive partnership .

Another suggestion is to use green stick tape and skate laces to promote positive mental health . Green is the colour of mental health and the CMHA .

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Communications Elements

The communications materials in this guide can serve as templates for use by the local club and CMHA branch to help promote the games .

Game-day events also provide an opportunity to increase public awareness about positive mental health and suicide prevention . The games provide the club and local CMHA branch an opportunity to leverage media and social media to enhance the profile of all partners . These events also provide an opportunity to increase public awareness about mental health promotion and suicide prevention . Branches and teams should coordinate as much as possible when promoting the game days to traditional media and on social media .

For example, it’s recommended the club and branch collaborate to alert the media beforehand so journalists can help spread the word about this cause . Similarly, a coordinated approach to using social media can help all partners reach more people .

1. Talk Today WebsiteBanner

The template banners (shown) have been created to allow each team and CMHA branch to customize a banner for their respective websites and social media accounts .

The template banners can be used to link to a template news release posted on respective team and CMHA branch web pages .

Click on each template web bannerfor a high-resolution version .

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2. Social Media Plan and Sample Tweets/Posts

This plan will help CMHA branches and teams use social media effectively to promote Talk Today game days and raise awareness about positive mental health and suicide prevention .

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Social media # and channels

1 . Hashtag: The hashtag to be used to promote all Talk Today special events on all channels is #TalkToday .

2 . Channels

a . Websites: All CMHA branches and teams have individual websites

b . Twitter: CMHA branches and teams, league head office

c . Facebook: CMHA branches and teams, league head office

d . Instagram: If possible

Activities

Timeline Channel Activities

Week before event Twitter • Promote the event on Twitter (see suggested teaser tweets provided below)

Facebook • Promote the event on Facebook (see suggested teaser posts provided below)

Once News Release is issued

Websites • Post the news release and banner announcing the event

Twitter • Tweet link to the news release (see suggested tweets provided)

Facebook • Share news release on Facebook (see suggested posts provided)

Event Day Websites • Take pictures to post on the website following the event

Twitter • Encourage fan participation during the game: Use this video board andencourage fans to share their support on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter usingthe hashtag #TalkToday

• Share live tweets from team/branch accounts at the event• CMHA Branch and Divisions will retweet event tweets to its account followers as

well

Facebook • Announce that it is event day on Facebook and share live photos if possible

Instagram • Encourage players and attendees to post pictures from the event using thehashtag #TalkToday

Following the Event Websites • Create and post web story summarizing launch event with photos for teams/branches to post

Twitter • Tweet media coverage of event

Facebook • Share photos of event on Facebook and share with teams to post on theirFacebook pages as well

Instagram • Share photos of event on Instagram

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Tracking and Monitoring

All CMHA and league participants must use the #TalkToday hashtag for social media posts related to the project . This will enable CMHA to monitor and track the use of the hashtag across three platforms (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) for all accounts .

Sample Social Media Posts for Use by Clubs and CMHA branches

Twitter:

Tweets Before News Release is Issued

• We’re hard at work on something exciting with <insert team’s twitter handle/insert CMHA branch twitterhandle> & @TeachersLifeCAN! Stay tuned.

• We can’t wait to share what we’re working on with <insert team’s twitter handle/insert CMHA branch twitterhandle> & @TeachersLifeCAN! It’s going to be great. Stay tuned!

Tweets When News Release is Issued

• Help us promote positive #mentalhealth! Join us for the annual #TalkToday event with <insert team’s twitterhandle/insert CMHA branch twitter handle> & @TeachersLifeCAN : <insert link to news release on branchwebsite>

• Our #TalkToday initiative with <insert team’s twitter handle/insert CMHA branch twitter handle> and@TeachersLifeCAN continues with our annual special event! Join us on <insert date> to talk #mentalhealth.

Tweets Day of Event

• 1 in 5 youth struggle with #mentalhealth issues. It’s time to #TalkToday about mental health. Join us & @TeachersLifeCAN! <insert link to news release on branch website>

• Today we’re encouraging conversation about #mentalhealth with <insert team’s twitter handle> at the annual#TalkToday event wtih @TeachersLifeCAN! Follow us for live updates. <insert link to news release on branchwebsite>

Tweet Following the Event

• Huge thanks to <insert team’s twitter handle/insert CMHA branch twitter handle > & @TeachersLifeCAN for itssupport in talking about mental health! <insert photo of the game/event if possible>. #TalkToday <insert link tostory on branch website>

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Facebook:

Facebook Posts When News Release is Issued

• Our Talk Today initiative with (the team/local CMHA branch) & Teachers Life continues! We’re taking the mentalhealth conversation into the community with our annual Talk Today event - join us! <insert link to news releaseon branch website>

Facebook Post Day of Event

• One in five youth struggle with mental health issues. Today we’re encouraging conversation about#mentalhealth with <insert team’s Facebook page/insert CMHA branch’s Facebook page> and Teachers Lifeat the annual #TalkToday event! Follow us for live updates at the game. <insert link to news release on branchwebsite>

Facebook Post Following the Event

• Huge thanks to the teams, fans and Teachers Life for making our annual Talk Today event a success! You’re alla part of making positive mental health a part of our community. <insert photo of the game/event if possible><insert link to story on branch website>.

3. News Release Template

This requires collaboration between the CMHA branch and the club . Both sides need to work together to finalize the release . Most notably, additional elements specific to each team’s game need to be added, as do quotes and contact information from a representative from the branch and the team .

The media contact on the release should be comfortable, confident and available to speak to reporters about Talk Today and the awareness game . To help with interviews, a key message document (for internal purposes only) is provided as part of this package . The release should be distributed to the team’s media contacts a few days before the awareness game to spark interest in the program and the game .

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NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release

[Team] to host mental health awareness game in partnership with CMHA [Branch], presented by Teachers Life

[City, Date] – The [club name] have partnered with Canadian Mental Health Association, [name of local branch] for a mental health awareness game [date and time of game], presented by Teachers Life, when the [club name] take on the [opponent name] at [arena name]. The game day experience will have several features to promote the importance of mental health, including:

• A CMHA-run kiosk on the concourse where fans can learn more about mental health and theorganization’s community-based services

• A ceremonial puck drop and photo opportunity with CMHA [branch name]• Videos featuring [club name] players talking about the importance of mental health• Public service announcements about mental health and CMHA [name of local branch]• Mental health signs for fans to write on and show in unison at a designated stoppage in play• A CMHA fundraising component

This mental health awareness game is part of the [club name]s’ ongoing partnership with CMHA [local branch] and its Talk Today program, presented by Teachers Life. Originally launched by CMHA Ontario in partnership with the Ontario Hockey League in 2014, Talk Today provides an important opportunity to address the mental health needs of athletes across Canada. Through this program, over 1,000 OHL players and over 400 coaches, billets and staff have received mental health and suicide prevention training across the league.

The key piece of the Talk Today program has been to educate players about mental health and suicide prevention. Each team is also linked to a CMHA mental health coach, who provides support and mental health resources to individuals in need. Additionally, CMHA experts work with players from the [club name] to deliver a basic in-class presentation about mental wellness to elementary school students. “[Quote from local CMHA branch using key messages provided],” said [name], executive director/CEO/mental health coach of CMHA [local branch]. “[Quote from local team contact],” said [name], [position] of the [local club].

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Tickets for the game are still available, starting from $[price].

For ticket information, contact [info from local club].

Read more about Talk Today [link to web story].

Media Contact:

[name] [name]

[title] [title]

[CMHA local branch] [local club]

[phone number] [phone number]

[email address] [email address]

4. CMHA Branch Key Messages

This key message document is designed for teams and CMHA branch representatives when discussing Talk Today with the public/media . By using this document, all parties are contributing to consistent messaging about the program . This document is not to be distributed publicly .

Issue

CMHA Branches and teams are collaborating to hold game-day events across the country for Talk Today, a project that aims to promote the mental health of young athletes and raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention .

Key Messages

• We’re extremely grateful to partner with the [local team/local CMHA branch] and Teachers Life to host a TalkToday event to increase public awareness and to promote mental health in this community .

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• Talk Today provides mental health support and raises suicide awareness among the [local team] organizationand throughout [the league] .

• Members of the [local team] play leadership roles within the community and players, particularly, are seen asexcellent role models who positively influence young fans and their families .

• By hosting this event, the [local team/local CMHA branch] are helping eliminate the stigma and discriminationassociated with mental health issues and encouraging discussion within the community about mental health .

Key Messages – Youth Mental Health

• One in five youth struggles with their mental health .

• In Canada, suicide is second-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10-24 .

• In the United States, suicide is the third-leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds .

Key Messages – Stigma, Discrimination And Mental Health

• The stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health issues often keeps people from seeking the helpthey need when they need it most .

• Nearly 60 percent of youth 25 and under treated for a mental illness in the past year reported being affectedby the impact of stigma .

• This Talk Today event aims to combat stigma by starting a conversation around mental health andencouraging young people to seek help when they need it .

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SummaryTalk Today awareness games are an opportunity to destigmatize issues related to mental health and suicide prevention . By hosting games dedicated to Talk Today, the participating clubs and branches are playing a key role in mental health promotion activities for the benefit of the community at large .

CMHA hopes this Talk Today Game-Day Guide provides sufficient guidance for participating teams and branches to host successful events in their communities .

For more information, contact:

Alex Salomie

Communications Officer Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Tel: 416-977-5580 Ext . 4129 or Toll Free: 1-800-875-6213 asalomie@ontario .cmha .ca

Joe Kim Director of Communications Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Tel: 416-977-5580 Ext . 4141 or Toll Free: 1-800-875-6213 jkim@ontario .cmha .ca