News Release
Toronto, ON (October 5, 2017) – Teachers Life today launched Ready for Life, an online mental health resource developed for the Canadian education community. The first of its kind, the site is dedicated to the unique needs of teachers.
“Teachers Life’s primary purpose is to serve our members and those in the education community across the country, and mental health education is an area we feel we can provide support,” said Mark Cummings, President and CEO of Teachers Life. “We have seen an increase in stress-related claims in recent years. While this is consistent within the insurance industry and a challenge across Canadian workplaces, because our mission is to serve the needs of those who work in education, we felt it was important to develop this resource.”
Ready for Life features tips, articles, quizzes and expertise from leading mental health experts for educators who want to learn more about their own mental health as professionals, as well as their role in championing the mental health and wellness of today’s youth. To develop the site’s content, Teachers Life has partnered with mental health organizations such as Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario to bring together many facets of the mental health sector.
“Working with specific professions, like the education community, is an important strategy for CMHA Ontario,” said Camille Quenneville, CEO of CMHA Ontario. “With committed partners like Teachers Life, we can help educators address their unique mental health challenges. In turn, we recognize that educators can play a key role in helping school communities reduce stigma associated to mental illness and mental health issues.”
In addition to providing valuable information to assist individual educators, the Ready for Life initiative also recognizes the important role educators play in the lives and well-being of students and features contributed expert content on understanding student wellness.
“One of our main objectives of Ready for Life is to increase awareness around mental health in the education community and beyond, and in doing so reduce the stigma around these common issues that many experience,” said Mr. Cummings. “We want to support wellness and awareness within the education community by providing a resource that helps teachers and education workers navigate mental health challenges and encourages open discussion.”
Teachers Life remains strongly committed to mental health awareness and education in Canadian communities. The organization is the title sponsor of CMHA Ontario’s Ontario Hockey League (OHL) program, Talk Today, and for Children Mental Health Ontario’s Change the View video contest held annually in Ontario schools.
Ready for Life can be accessed at ReadyforLife.ca or found on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #ReadyforLife.
Teachers Life encourages anyone working in education, parents and anyone eager to learn more about their own mental health, to visit the site often as new content and events will be posted regularly.
About Teachers Life
Teachers Life is a federally regulated life insurance company and North America’s largest educator-owned fraternal insurer. Founded in 1939, Teachers Life offers a full suite of personal insurance products to address the unique needs of the whole education community, including educators, administrators, support staff and their families. Teachers Life is the first insurance provider in Canada to underwrite life insurance products online, in as little as 15 minutes. As a not-for-profit fraternal insurer, community commitment is a core value for Teachers Life. For more information, please visit TeachersLife.com.
Media Contact
Gwen McGuire
Kaiser Lachance Communications
416-948-6500
gwen.mcguire@kaiserlachance.com