For Jazmine Dewtie, a Booking & Registration Clerk with IWK Health’s Mental Health & Addictions Program, soon-to-be Master of Social Work graduate, and mother of a four-year-old boy, the path to helping others has been deeply shaped by her own experiences, identity, and community.
Growing up, Jazmine, who is African Nova Scotian, spent much of her time with her grandmother, who introduced her to the history, culture, and resilience of her family. She says that those early experiences helped shape the person she would become, and that they continue to influence the work she does today.
“My grandmother had foster kids growing up. And so that was where I first learned about the [foster care] system, and what social workers were. She was the one to teach me the core values of our culture and history, and her experiences.”
As a biracial child growing up in Nova Scotia, Jazmine also became aware at an early age of the inequities that existed around her.
“That actually really scared me as a kid – because I've seen kind of how white kids were treated, versus black kids.”
Those experiences stayed with her and helped foster a desire to better understand people's stories, challenge inequities, and create meaningful change within systems of care.
After working in long-term care and completing undergraduate studies focused on sociology, anthropology, and Black history, Jazmine eventually found her way to IWK Health, working as a Booking & Registration Clerk for the Mental Health & Addictions Program. From there, what started as an opportunity to gain experience in a healthcare setting quickly became something more meaningful.
Working within Mental Health & Addictions allowed Jazmine to see the many different ways care is delivered, and the impact that even small interactions can have on clients and families. It also introduced her to the teams, services, and learning opportunities that would later influence both her education and career aspirations.
Alana Woods, Registered Nurse with the Urgent Care Clinic shares that Jazmine’s skills and experience helped shape her practice.
Woods says, “Jazmine’s expertise in culturally safe care challenged me to critically reflect on how culture shapes my practice. Jazmine offered insightful guidance that strengthened my practice. Together we implemented changes, including integrating more inclusive resources such as diverse posters and community resources, to help create a welcoming environment, and to help foster a more holistic approach to care.”
Jazmine began attending Dalhousie University’s graduate social work program in September 2024, while continuing to work within the Mental Health & Addictions Program. Through her studies and work placements, she had the opportunity to learn alongside care providers from across the program.
Through conversations with colleagues, Jazmine was introduced to the work of the newly formed African Nova Scotian Services (ANSS), and in working with individuals from this team, she felt their work closely aligned with her professional interests.
“Once I experienced it, I just fell in love. This is so impactful. I've learned so much, and I would love to turn [my contributions] into something that could be reflective of my own history.”
Through her exposure to clinical work, Jazmine witnessed the importance of trauma-informed care and the difference it can make for children, youth, and families.
She also participated in an experiential workshop led by Laura Callaghan, NP and a member of Mental Health and Addictions Shared Care Service supporting Newcomers. The workshop helped participants better understand the histories, cultures, experiences, and circumstances that influence a person's health and well-being.
Participants roleplay as newcomers to Canada while navigating challenging decisions amidst unfamiliar new systems and surroundings. Jazmine describes the presentation as an impactful moment that felt aligned with the direction she was headed in her studies and career interests.
Collectively, these experiences became the inspiration for her Master of Social Work thesis, Stepping Into the Story: ANS Learning Experience. The project explores how culturally grounded, experiential learning can strengthen understanding of African Nova Scotian experiences, mental health, resilience, and culturally responsive care.
In May 2026, Jazmine’s thesis work brought together African Nova Scotian youth and clinicians who were not from African Nova Scotian backgrounds at IWK’s Dartmouth MHA clinic for the presentation of a workshop focused on helping create space for important conversations about identity, history, resilience, and mental health.
“It really opened up a lot of conversation - really opened some doors, and some ideas, and some thoughts and reflection.”
She says the combination of conducting research, observing practice, and learning alongside clients, youth, families, and care providers has fundamentally shaped how she sees the role of social work and the opportunities for change.
Dr. Jill Chorney, Scientific Lead for Mental Health & Addictions, and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University, says, “Jazmine beautifully demonstrates what happens when research comes from both deep insight and lived experience
“By bringing her own personal and professional journey to her thesis, Jazmine has created work that doesn’t just contribute knowledge – it actively strengthens our communities and the Mental Health & Addictions program’s approach to care.”
When reflecting on best practices for delivering care, Jazmine says, “[If] we're not asking about who this client is, how are we able to fully give them care?”
For Jazmine, these lessons have become both personal and professional. She says that, as the mother of a young Black son, this work often leads her to reflect on the future she hopes to help create for children and youth in Nova Scotia.
She says while the thesis started as “just like an idea - a school project that was cool, and talks about our history,” she says “it became way more attached to me, and way more deep because every day I'm coming home to a little black boy that, God forbid, may or may not need mental health support one day.”
As she prepares for the final stages of completing her Master of Social Work degree and graduating this fall, Jazmine hopes her work contributes to more culturally responsive mental health care and helps ensure that African Nova Scotian youth and families feel seen, heard, and understood.
By bringing her lived experience, curiosity, and commitment to equity into everything she does, Jazmine is helping create space for important conversations—and helping shape a stronger future for the children, youth, and families IWK Health serves.
“I'm seeing reality of the [mental health care] system as I'm also making something that could help the system.”