Ambassador Feature

Meet University of Dalhousie Ambassador, Abby Kitcher!

In July 2023, having just completed year one of her Medical Sciences program at Dalhousie University, the St. Catharines native stumbled upon Cam’s Kids as a recommended social media account to follow.

Intrigued, Abby did just that – an action that brought about the revelation that Dalhousie didn’t have a discernible Cam’s Kids presence but did have a Team Lead in the form of one Bryn Joy.

Shortly after, following a meeting with Bryn, Abby signed on as a Cam’s Kids Ambassador. What followed was “a pretty good year”; an eventful period that saw the Dalhousie team grow by another 12 members.

“That growth was definitely all Bryn,” credits Abby.

“We started working on social media and outreach. It helped that I kind of had a handle on younger people. Bryn’s a little more involved with upper year stuff. We did a bunch of Instagram posts to gain traction over the summer, brought a few people on in September and it’s been a rolling application thing ever since.”

Registered with the Dalhousie Student Union, Cam’s Kids is an official university society. That status secure, Abby says the team’s focus now is “on trying to get our name out there.” Abby brings to the table her experience overseeing a student wellness committee at her high school, and her personal effort to make available mental health resources accessible to her peers. “When I saw that the mission of Cam’s Kids is to make resources more accessible for university students, I was like ‘Oh, I did this before. Loved it. Got to do it again.’” Recounting her experience transitioning from high school to university, Abby says it wasn’t stressful but it did bring about “anxious excitement.”

“Movng in and trying to live on my own was very difficult. The community I found living in residence made it a lot easier for me. I love that Cam’s Kids does the same in terms of community. It’s all about building strength and support of each other. If that’s something that helped my anxiety, then it’s got to be a good thing everywhere.”

"The biggest thing I’ve realized is a lot of university students don’t have any idea of the resources that are available to them. Even the resources we have here on campus. It’s cool that Cam’s Kids has a number you can text. One girl I met at the society fair said ‘I don’t want to call someone.’ I was like ‘Well, we have a text number.’ Most didn’t know you can text for support and don’t have to call, which I think stops some people from reaching out.”

In her experience, Abby says the real value of Cam’s Kids lies in students be able to confide in other students “who hear them and support them. It’s so hard to get over that hump of trying to access a resource and having to go to an adult. Cam’s Kids (team members) are students of their own age; people who have gone through what they’re going through.”

Not unlike most all Cam’s Kids Ambassadors, Abby has found inspiration in the Hicks family’s journey that led to the foundation’s formation – “There’s no better thing they could have done to as a legacy to Cam.

 On a more personal level, her involvement has helped her overcome her avoidance of approaching those she doesn’t know.

“When you have a bag of candy canes and you’ve got to hand them out, that makes it easier to talk to people. Not just pitch an organization. Actually empathize. I’m a lot more open to talking to people that I had never met before.”

“The other big thing is talking about mental health. It’s such a stigmatized topic. Being part of an organization that talks so freely about mental health has really helped me be more comfortable starting the conversation around it.”

With a career aspiration of being a child psychologist working specifically in preventative mental health, Abby says Cam’s Kids is checking a lot of boxes for her.

“Being exposed to so many resources and pushing the momentum to break the stigma surrounding mental health has made me so much more interested in becoming a psychiatrist. I feel we’re going to need many more of them, not only because the world isn’t a great place right now but also because people are more willing to talk.”

For now, her attention is on building the Dalhousie team and, come the new school year, plan and host more interactive events.

“It’s great to give out resource information but the goal is to have a night where people can come talk; maybe at a coffee event or something.”