How I Found Community At Strides

I had a textbook case of post-graduate depression last year. Nothing could have prepared me for leaving an environment where everyone was more or less in the same boat. Sure, I struggled to connect with people at school. However, I wish I could tell my younger self to stop taking school's social aspect for granted. It’s exponentially harder to meet people in the real world, let alone relate to them. And everything’s heavier when you feel you’re carrying it alone. 

When I ran into an old co-worker at the library, they mentioned Strides Toronto. This multi-service nonprofit offers free therapy, activities, and a hangout space for youth ages 25 and under. Get this, it was only a 30-minute bike ride away. I had never heard of it, even though I had lived in the city all my life. Frankly, I wish I had discovered this resource 4 years ago because Strides is awesome. 

I had my reservation walking in, feeling as hopeless as I did from a good six months of isolated, underemployed, insomnia-driven psychological decay. I had walked the walk in university when it came to “free” therapy and peer support groups. None of it clicked with me. Might’ve been something about the services being in the same building as the lecture halls that alienated and stressed me out. My university was also notoriously antisocial, with stress clouds hovering over us throughout our four-year sentences. 

Strides is different because it doesn’t charge a tuition fee to use its services, nor does it contribute to the very stress it works to minimize. Naturally, this attracts a more diverse crowd. I’ve befriended people I would’ve never met in university. The services I use most are the weekly peer support group, one-on-one meetings with a peer support worker, and short-term therapy. 

You hear a ton about the decline of third spaces, as in where people go to hang out. I can confidently say I’ve found my third space, one where I can be myself. And I likely would never have heard about this resource if not for a peer pointing in the right direction. It goes to show how one nudge towards great help can make all the difference.