Ambassador Feature

Meet Lakehead University Ambassador, Alexis Thomas

Alexis Thomas came into the Cam’s Kids family in a familiar way – via a ringing endorsement from a friend whose subsequent pitch piqued her curiosity. 

 “About two years ago, a friend always had a little booth set up at the school,” recalls Alexis, originally from Sarnia, of her introduction to Cam’s Kids at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus.  

 “I always stopped and said hi. Well, one time, I asked her what Cam’s Kids is all about. She said, “Well, it’s a club. We promote mental health and anxiety awareness. It’s very rewarding.’”  

 Enough said. Alexis was sold. 

 “I went to one of the meetings and I was like ‘This is great,’” says Alexis, who’s just completing the third year of her undergrad in psychology and criminology. 

“I struggle with my mental health, and I do have anxiety and depression. I have my ways of talking to people about it, and I have my support system, but many people don’t. They don’t understand what anxiety is…what signs to look for. Making that awareness available to others, for them to be able to go at their own rate getting help and talking to someone about it, is good.” 

“I was like ‘You know what? I’m part of this. I’m in this group.’ You see people try to do something and it flunks. This is something that is so important; something that can change and affect many people in a good way. I wanted to make sure this was a big priority, not only for myself but also for the other members.” 

That was then and this is now, and now sees Alexis reference a time, not all that long ago, when readily available support for those with anxiety and mental health challenges, like Cam’s Kids , wasn’t in place.

“There are still times now when you get shut down when you try to talk about your feelings,” she says.

 “Cam’s Kids is about getting people to talk about their feelings…to identify them and to manage them.” 

 Alexis is in a good place to make a difference now. Students whom she and her team interact with are appreciative and, yes, sometimes taken aback. 

 “They don't know how to process it right away,” says Alexis. 

“I think the stigma that you shouldn't have those feelings (of anxiety or depression) is still there. Being in university is stressful and so busy. You don’t have time to focus on yourself but must make the time. I’ve never had someone not say this (Cam’s Kids) is a good thing. When they walk away, they look a little bit more refreshed.”  

 Looking ahead, the goal now is build the Cam’s Kids team on her campus. 

“Our team has gotten a lot stronger because there's more communication. We understand what’s going on. Either we’re struggling or we know someone who is. That motivates us along with people stopping to talk to us, and the people that say ‘Thank you.’” 

“But right now, we sit at a table and wait for people to approach us. While that's great and people often do, we also need to do more outreach. We need to reach out to people and start that conversation.” 

As Alexis works with Amber to enlarge Cam’s Kids footprint at Lakehead, not lost on her is how Cam’s Kids has impacted her. 

 “By taking the time to help others, I’m taking time for myself, which I would have never done,” she assesses. 

 “Trying to get everyone (on the team) together has allowed me to value other people's time as and understand that they have other things going on. Now I know that if they're not coming to a meeting or they're not comfortable going out and doing something, there's a good reason why.” 

“The people that talk to us about what's going on in their life, all they want is for us to listen to and not blab about things. Cam's Kids has allowed me to be more patient, definitely a better listener and, yes, more empathetic.”