My Outlet Issue #1 | 2025
- audriechad
- Oct 14, 2025
- 6 min read
Welcome to the first issue of My Outlet's newsletter!
We are sending this out to friends, family, clients, and professional contacts. If this isn't something you're interested in, the unsubscribe option is at the bottom of the email. If you unsubscribe, we will not contact you again.
Founder’s note
The initial concept behind My Outlet emerged from first-hand experience with a profound lack of support, recognition, understanding, and community for people with ADHD. A navigation system for individuals and families with ADHD was widely sought after but didn’t exist. I had an unrelenting desire to arm children who have ADHD with the tools to glide effectively through their early years, or at a minimum, travel along less bumpy roads. To me, it was undeniable that the compounding effect of supportive networks, positive experiences, and new resources would demonstrate its value in spades as a child would grow.
If you’re not the parent of a child in one of our programs (and even if you are), you may be wondering why My Outlet has established such a broad audience. Our readers span corporate executives to school administrators to camp directors to university students to academics to parents. How can this make sense? What is the common denominator?
The answer is in the conversation, revealing a rich and collective lived experience. The more I socialized My Outlet’s mission and initiatives with my network, the clearer it became that ADHD (and neurodiversity more broadly) is weaved throughout society like different threads of a colourful sweater. The clearer it became that education, programming, and socialization of a new more inclusive norm would establish deeply needed pathways. These initiatives would enable and encourage greater access to society and significantly contribute to our communities and our economy.
Click HERE to read examples that likely hit home about how neurodiversity and inclusion are relevant to your day-to-day, even if you have never previously considered it. Learn about My Outlet’s top-down and bottom-up approach to addressing this expansive and complex topic.
My Outlet is establishing a trusted forum to open up important yet sensitive conversations in numerous pockets of society.
With this first newsletter issue, we are seeking your engagement, bringing together a diverse audience with a shared interest in improved outcomes and experiences for everyone. Each of you will have your “why”; some will be similar, and others will be wildly different. Whatever your “why” is, hold on to it and find the program, service or contribution to My Outlet that speaks to you. Not sure where to begin or if this is for you? Reach out and let’s start a conversation so that together we can address and eventually close the gap.
By Audrie Chad, Founder, My Outlet
News and upcoming events
My Outlet Kids and LIT Program
This fall, we released our new recap video for the My Outlet Signature kids program so you and your kids can see what the program is all about! To watch, click HERE
New to the kids program this year, we welcomed Ilana Pelcowitz as our Social Worker and Jonah Hamilton as our Senior Facilitator. We’re thrilled to have them on board and it’s clear our kiddos feel the same way!
On-Campus: for university students and new grads
We’re proud to be introducing The Beacon Program by My Outlet, for university students and new grads. This program is headed up by Kimberly van Dijk and supported by our dedicated ambassadors at a variety of university campuses across Ontario.
Whether you identify as neurodivergent or as an ally, The Beacon Program gives you the chance to build confidence, gain career-ready skills, and find a community that values inclusion. The program is kicking off with three in-person events at a university near you, featuring a highly curated speaker series that addresses the issues and challenges that you, the university student or new grad, are facing.
Interested in becoming a university campus ambassador for The Beacon Program? Reach out at admin@channelmyoutlet.com.
School administration education, workshops, and training
My Outlet is building on the training sessions delivered to many overnight camps in the spring and early summer this year by delivering continued neurodiversity and inclusion education and training into the fall. At our upcoming sessions, camp staff will gain valuable skills and tools designed to equip and empower them at camp and throughout the calendar year. Interested in bringing this hands-on, bespoke training workshop to your employer or administration? Inquire now for more details, pricing, and availability at
Corporate Events
Have you considered what your organization is doing to recognize International ADHD Awareness Month this month (October) and International Neurodiversity Celebration Month in March? It’s not too late to talk about informative panel discussions, inspiring fireside chats, or lunch and learns for your organization! Contact us at info@channelmyoutlet.com to design a fit-for-purpose initiative that matches your organization’s appetite for weaving neurodiversity and inclusion into your overall strategy.
We’re hiring!
My Outlet is looking to fill contract and volunteer positions for a variety of needs, from front office to social media content creation to graphic design and more! Do you have a good understanding of neurodiversity, a desire for change and impact, and a skill set you’d like to share? If so, we’d like to hear from you! Reach out to info@channelmyoutlet.com to inquire.
Faye's Corner
By Faye Block, University of McGill Student
Hello! My name is Faye, and I am beyond excited to be writing for the My Outlet Newsletter. I suppose the first thing you may be wondering is, what is the value of My Outlet? In a world full of exclusion and hierarchy, the word “neurodiversity” is often burdened with negative and reductive associations. With so much misinformation and stereotypes surrounding the topic, it is easy to become trapped in the idea that the world of neurodiversity is solely one of hopelessness and limitation.
But for the group of kids who joined the My Outlet program in Toronto last year, the stigmas associated with neurodiversity were gradually broken down. The program, which I helped facilitate during my last year of high school, provided a space – for many participants, their first space of the kind – where neurodiversity was accepted, celebrated, and understood. As a facilitator of the program, I built relationships with the participants (children and Leaders In Training) based on trust, inclusion, and a shared interest in inward and outward kindness.
During these programs, the kids would move through 4 Blocks - 1 focused on physical activity, 2 on social-emotional learning, 3 on a specialized interest or skill, and 4 on meditation and relaxation. In Block 2, some of my favourite memories include playing blindfolded chess as a means of understanding one another’s styles of communication, and creating positive self-affirmations. My favourite Block 3 activities included playing video games with the participants (they won by a lot), and learning with the kids about science and electricity, areas in which a few of them were incredibly interested and knowledgeable.
These fun activities were grounded in very real, important values. With each My Outlet session, bonds between participants strengthened, and the group became an integral space where neurodiversity underpinned amusement, education, and community. I could not be more thankful that I got to be a part of this very special program, and I am excited to continue contributing to My Outlet through this newsletter.
Did you know?
Did you know that October is ADHD awareness month? This newsletter, My Outlet introduces you to "The ADHD Awareness Month coalition", which is partnering with organizations around the world with the shared global goal of disseminating reliable information about ADHD and its treatments.
The 2025 ADHD Awareness Month theme is "The Many Faces of ADHD!"
Enter their contest and contribute to a rich bank of knowledge and experiences by sharing your story. Submit your video for the video contest or share your ADHD art, ADHD stories, and ADHD memes to inform and inspire others. See website for details: https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org
Quick Tip
Connection before Correction
When correcting behavior, start with a message of love: “I care about you, and I know we can find a solution together.”
Children listen better when they feel connected first.
Resources
The topic of mental health is inextricably linked to ADHD, and compels us to understand how resources on mental health can support our ADHD journey. Check out Kids Help Phone's new "Feel Out Loud" campaign, released in September. Kids Help Phone’s new film reimagines the Beatles song "Help,” revealing what help truly means for youth across Canada. KHP reminds us that help can take many shapes, depending on each young person’s experience. The film is a powerful reminder that youth thrive when they can express their feelings and access the support they deserve. Access the film HERE.
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