The Brock Badgers are joining the conversation to help combat mental illness when their basketball teams host games in support of Bell Let's Talk on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

The Badgers are giving away free toques to the first 100 fans through the gate when Brock's nationally-ranked women's basketball team (13-3) kicks off the festivities versus the York Lions (10-6) at Bob Davis Gymnasium at 6 p.m. The men's team (9-7) then faces off against the Lions (2-14) at 8 p.m.

Get your tickets here.

The Badgers are looking forward to raising awareness about mental illness, which can take many forms, including depression, anxiety or schizophrenia on the 10th anniversary of Bell Let's Talk Day.

One in five people in Canada will experience a mental health issue or illness in any given year, according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

"It's perfectly normal to need help," said forward Daniel Cayer of the men's basketball team. "Even the strongest have moments where they need to air out what's on their mind. It's important to have a strong support system around you to get through times of adversity."

The Bell Let's Talk campaign is built on four pillars: anti-stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research, and leading by example in workplace mental health.

"Nobody deserves to feel alone, it takes a couple seconds out of your day to tell somebody how much they mean to you," said guard Kristin Gallant of the women's basketball team. "Simply being there for somebody as a person to talk to could save their life and you may not even know it."

In a recent survey conducted by Nielsen Consumer Insights in 2019, 84 per cent of Canadians now say they are comfortable speaking with others about mental health, compared to only 42 per cent in 2012.

However, there is still work to be done to ensure all Canadians have access to the mental health support they need.

This year, on Bell Let's Talk Day (Jan. 29) Canadians are encouraged to share the actions, large and small, that they are taking to improve the lives of people living with mental health issues.