On Nov. 1, a third iteration of the joint AMS-Career Services campaign, It All Adds Up, hit campus.

“It’s grown quite a bit in the past two years,” said, Leah Brockie, academic affairs commissioner for the AMS. “We’re now at 42 post-secondary institutions around the world.”

The initiative was born from both groups seeing students so often feeling the pressure of a full load of academics as well as extracurricular commitments. As a team, the AMS and Queen’s Career Services seek to emphasize the value of what students are already involved in, and challenge the idea that more is better through events and campus staples.

“[Extracurriculars] create a great culture to have because kids are so involved, but we also don’t want students to overload themselves,” Brockie said.

The campaign stresses the importance of balance, she said, and gives students a chance to “pause and reflect on everything they’re already doing, and how it can all contribute in the long run.”

The It All Adds Up team spends a lot of time helping other schools — such as a recent addition to the campaign in Australia — get their own initiatives running.

As the campaign grows internationally, it’s also expanding the breadth of its offerings at Queen’s. This year’s additions include partnerships with varsity teams to help athletes recognize the transferable skills they’re gaining through their involvement in sports.

A notable partnership was forged this year between the AMS, Career Services and the Queen’s women’s hockey team to support athletes in their health and wellness.

During the launch week from Nov. 1-10, several booths have been situated around campus for students to interact with career counsellors, as well as an extensive social media campaign.

Laura Wyatt, ArtSci ’17, has been working on the initiative on behalf of Career Services, and said a point of concentration for the year is letting students have their voice in the campaign.

“The goal is to find ways to talk to students, and let them ask their own questions,” she said.

One of the booths will be rooted in the Queen’s Centre, where they’ll be running a whiteboard campaign for students to write down how they’re involved at the school and talk to career counsellors in a no-pressure setting.

“We want it to be a fun and happy environment,” Wyatt said. As the initiative’s third year kicks off, she says the visible impact on students makes her grateful.

“I love meeting with so many people and seeing the smiles,” she said. “It’s such a unique experience and such a good feeling as a student to have support come to you.”