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At Queen’s we are lucky enough to have the Society of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. The SGSPA works to make our experience in graduate school as positive as possible, providing support, encouragement, and professional development opportunities. I have benefitted greatly from many of the programs that they offer! This post will spotlight some of the programs and events that the SGSPA offers for grad students. 

1. The PhD-Community Initiative (PhD-CI) is a great way to get involved, both with other graduate students and with the greater Kingston community. You get to chose a community project from a select list, and then join a team of graduate students from many other departments. The team then meets regularly over the course of many months with themselves and with community stakeholders to address an issue in Kingston that can benefit from the innovative thinking that graduate students provide. At the end of the project the team gets to present their research and solutions to a large gathering of community stakeholders. I took part in this several years ago. My team researched the need for culturally sensitive mental healthcare for newcomers to Kingston. This project was difficult, but it was a very fulfilling experience to become involved people outside of the Queen’s community. More info can be found on the PhD-CI page.
2. Writing Camps are another aspect of the amazing programs that SGSPA provides. There are several versions of these camps. There is Dissertation on the Lake, which takes place in a retreat outside Kingston where students can focus on writing for a week away from any outside distractions, while enjoying the beauty of nature. Dissertation Bootcamp runs near the end of each semester, with in person and online options, where graduate students spend a week together focused on their dissertation. There are breaks for goal setting, writing advice, and most importantly, snacks! I have really benefited from the communal atmosphere of Dissertation Bootcamp, I was able to map out two major chapters in one week! More info about these writing camps can be found on the writing camps page.
3. Workshops on topics related to professional development are available through SGSPA as well. These workshop topics focus on topics such as career development, communications skills, community engagement, EDII awareness, project management skills, research skills, teaching skills, and wellness/self-care. These workshops are beneficial not just for academic development, but also for connections and mental health. These workshops are free, and they allow students to learn new skills and competencies. More info can be found on the workshops page.

If you have time, I suggest that you poke around the SGSPA website and see what free resources could benefit you!