[ About ]

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Kingston NetworkBuddy (KNB) is a small, peer-led space for people in Kingston navigating big changes. That includes international students, newcomers, people living here without full citizenship, and local friends who want to help. KNB is here, so no one has to walk into a room alone. It’s a place where you can talk about the hard parts—like paperwork, work, or feeling lonely—with others who get it.

KNB started in 2023 because people going through big changes needed a place to just be themselves and feel seen by others who understand. Over time, it’s become a way for people to figure things out together, as equals, and build trust from sharing real experiences.

KNB doesn’t run set programs. Instead, we try small things—like backyard hangouts, coffee chats, pub nights, volunteering at festivals, or meeting on Zoom. Each time, people share what they’re figuring out and help each other with whatever they can. The focus is on finding a bit of steadiness together by sharing stories and small wins, not on fixing anyone.

KNB is a community service, not a nonprofit. There is no budget, no fees, and no guaranteed schedule; KNB appears when the people holding it have capacity and rests when work, health, or immigration status demand a pause—treating that ebb and flow as honest design instead of failure.

Belonging comes before performance here.

KNB is here because no one should have to go through big changes alone. It’s just one small part of a bigger community, all trying to make things a little less lonely.

Group of nine people at outdoor gathering, standing in front of a pool and greenery, smiling and posing for the photo, some holding drinks, two women wearing striped shirts, some wearing name tags.
Four smiling people taking a selfie at a crowded indoor event with colorful graffiti art on the wall behind them. 
[ HISTORY ]

How Kingston NetworkBuddy began

Back in 2022, Gail was studying International Business Management at St. Lawrence College. For a class project, she and her team set up a WIX forum called ON Foreign Student. It only lasted a couple of weeks, but one moment stuck with her. A Filipino student posted about feeling alone and anxious in Kingston. Not long after, someone from Brockville replied, offering real help. That small exchange made something clear: international students can feel deeply isolated, but even a tiny space to share can open the door to support.

By early 2023, Gail was still at St. Lawrence College, juggling classes and a part-time job as a commercial cleaner. Her husband and son were still in the Philippines, and she was trying to figure out the immigration process for them. For one of her courses, she needed to volunteer, attend networking events, and invite people to coffee chats.

She volunteered as a photographer with her classmate Parth D. Advani at the launch of the Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Southeastern Ontario, where Norman Musengimana, a Business Development Manager at Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) and BEE‑SEO board member, coordinated the volunteer photographers.

One snowy afternoon, during a volunteer orientation, Norman said something that stuck with her: “If you don’t make time to show up for networking, you won’t survive here in Kingston.” It didn’t feel like just advice. It felt like a real warning. Gail wondered what would happen if she only focused on school and cleaning, and never tried to step into new spaces in the city. She still wasn’t sure what networking was supposed to look like, or where to even find those events as a newcomer.

Later, Norman’s colleague Sara invited Gail to a newcomer networking night hosted by KEYS. It was the first time Gail realized those spaces even existed. Watching people move so easily in those rooms was new for her, but it felt good. With Sara promising to be there, Gail finally felt she could walk in. She brought three classmates along, too.

After that, she started inviting others. “Come with me so you don’t have to go alone,” she would say. She went to each event with a beginner’s curiosity and a quiet sense of urgency she couldn’t quite explain. It felt important to keep moving, keep connecting, and bring others along. That simple promise—“you’ll know at least one person in the room”—is what slowly became Kingston NetworkBuddy.

In the months that followed, that promise turned into small experiments. They became networking buddies at KEYS Welcome Nights and city events, supported each other’s projects, and hosted gatherings in backyards, homes, cafés, and pubs.

A group of seven diverse adults standing together indoors, smiling at the camera, in front of a brick wall with a neon sign that says 'Curious People Drink'.
Group of five diverse people smiling and standing together indoors at a social event or party. 
[ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ]

People Who Held This Work

This part of the site is for the people who saw my first website attempts and treated them like they mattered. Back in early 2023, I had a lot of ideas—forums, service directories, ways to help international students and newcomers.

You listened. You asked questions. Some of you even brought the work into your classrooms and projects. That care kept me going long enough to build this version of Kingston NetworkBuddy.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  • A smiling woman with curly dark hair wearing a blue top and colorful earrings.

    Prof. Julie Fossitt

    MANAGER, MARKETING AND REVENUE DEVELOPMENT

    CITY OF KINGSTON

    In 2023, Prof. Julie let me share an attempt to revive my earlier online community forum idea for international students—building on my ON Foreign Student course project—and helped connect me with people who could support turning it into a consolidated information site.

  • A man with dark hair and a beard smiles in an outdoor wooded area during late fall or early spring.

    Arjun Vasudevan Dev

    CLASSMATE, DIGITAL MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (SUMMER 2023-2024)

    Listened patiently to my early online‑forum ideas and offered concrete suggestions to improve the user experience, sharing example layouts and approaches that could make the international‑student forum and evolving KNB site easier to navigate and use.

  • A woman with blonde hair and a neutral expression.

    Prof. Kathy Patterson

    AMC/DMC FACULTY MEMBER, PROGRAM COORDINATOR

    ST. LAWRENCE COLLEGE

    In 2024, showed strong interest in KNB’s online community platform for international students and proposed involving her DMC students to help with the marketing and branding.

  • Portrait of a woman wearing a pink patterned top and a black turtleneck, with earrings, smiling in front of a grey wall.

    Charity Emeh

    KNB CORE TEAM

    Charity helped shape KNB’s early website vision in 2024 by meeting with Kingston Immigration Partnership to explore a shared online hub where international students could find the resources they need in one place.

  • Person in a large red monster mascot costume with blue hair and white eyes talking to a smiling woman at St. Lawrence College event.

    Prof. Jessica Bredscheneir

    AMC/DMC PROFESSOR, PROGRAM COORDINATOR

    ST. LAWRENCE COLLEGE

    Met with me in 2024 to discuss an evolved KNB site as a changemaker‑focused online community forum, giving time and attention to the idea and exploring how AMC/DMC students might support its marketing strategy.

  • A woman with short dark hair, glasses, and earrings, wearing a pink blazer and a lanyard, is drinking coffee or tea from a paper cup.

    Prof. Victoria Condlln Smallridge

    AMC/DMC FACULTY MEMBER

    ST.LAWRENCE COLLEGE

    In 2024, Prof. Victoria and her AMC students, with support from Prof. Jessica, chose my project and helped shape early branding for SEN‑Kingston—a grassroots support and empowerment hub where newcomers and local changemakers could turn networking into collaborative projects for community impact, even though the concept never fully launched.

[ RECOGNITION ]

In 2024, our Kingston NetworkBuddy team got a real boost from Elizabeth Hesp Coaching & Consulting. Elizabeth showed up when we needed help most. She gave us her time, energy, and wisdom. Because of her, we felt steadier and more supported as we learned how to do this work together.

Working with Community

International Student Symposium

International Student Symposium – invited community service provider in 2024 and 2025, thanks to Sonia Verjovsky, who welcomed KNB as a partner and held online debriefs with our core team to help shape conversations on networking and building connections.

Working Group Committee

Working Group Committee on International Student Transitions – a planning table convened by the City of Kingston, KEYS, and Kingston Immigration Partnership, where Gail participates as a community voice helping shape how information, connections, and care are offered to international students and graduates in Kingston.

Gratitude to SLC alumni

Kingston NetworkBuddy is deeply grateful to the St. Lawrence College Alumni Department and to Elizabeth Gorman, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, who nominated Gail for a CBIE 2024 Excellence Award, and for their financial support for food at 2024 KNB gatherings. This care made it easier to welcome international students and newcomers into rooms that felt a little warmer and more hospitable. They also provided SLC alumni swag to share with alumni participants in those rooms, adding a small touch of home to the space.

Three women standing behind a table at an event, smiling at the camera. The table displays a sign that says "Kingston NetworkBuddy," pamphlets, and brochures. To the right, a colorful spin wheel is set up next to a large banner that reads "Kingston Community Health Centres" and "Immigrant Services Kingston and Area." The women are wearing yellow shirts, and one is wearing a black jacket. The setting appears to be indoors, possibly at a health or community event.
Group of women smiling and holding a yellow sign that reads 'Kingston NetworkBuddy' at an indoor event.
Two smiling people standing behind a table with QR codes at an indoor event. A boat named 'Phoebe' is visible in the background, along with flags and informational displays.
People standing and discussing in a large indoor event space, with tables and booths in the background. 
[ SUPPORT ]

In 2024, Kingston NetworkBuddy’s team leadership and facilitation practices have been strengthened through coaching support from Elizabeth Hesp Coaching & Consulting. She stepped in with team coaching when we needed it most, offering her time, energy, and wisdom, and helped us feel more grounded and supported while we figured out how to hold this work together.

Team Leadership Support

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Three women sitting around a conference table, smiling and laughing, with papers, notebooks, pens, and a laptop in front of them, in a bright room with a television on the wall and a shelf with a globe in the background.