Two men are harnessing the power of TikTok to raise awareness about homelessness and drug addiction during a cross-country trip.
Sacha-Pol Campbell Hudon and Jay Bernard set off to British Columbia from Sherbrooke, Que., about three weeks ago, streaming and posting to their thousands of fans as they went via the video-sharing app TikTok under the accounts @ash_venturra and @dabz_and_ash.
“Every time we help out somebody in need, all I want to do is just let them know that I was where they were before,” said Campbell Hudon, speaking to Global News from a park in downtown Toronto.
The pair, who met through TikTok, said they have both dealt with homelessness and drug addiction in the past. They said they intend to raise awareness of these issues and help people who are still struggling.
“We’re just trying to spread some love and positive vibes to these people and let them know that, you know, people still care,” Bernard said.
The two credit TikTok and the people on it for keeping them off hard drugs.
“Yes, I was sober but I was still really fragile to relapse,” Campbell Hudon said.
“TikTok was a whole new community of people that were just amazing and supportive.”
“All the love and positivity we’ve gotten through TikTok, I want to keep that going,” Bernard added.
At each stop, they try to not only help those experiencing homelessness, but also show their audience these are people who have fallen on tough times.
“That’s somebody’s dad, that’s somebody’s uncle, that’s somebody’s son,” Bernard said.
“They deserve the same quality of life as any of us.”
Their videos are also aimed at viewers who continue to struggle with their own mental health challenges and substance use, Hudon explained.
“Maybe somebody’s going to check into rehab, maybe that’s going to motivate them,” he said.
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