A mother and daughter who lost a loved one in the Nova Scotia mass shooting are using their experience to train educators on how to support young people dealing with mental health challenges.
Jenny Kierstead’s sister Lisa McCully was one of 22 people killed during a gunman’s rampage through central Nova Scotia on April 18-19, 2020. Sophia Kierstead-Abbass was just 14 when she lost her aunt.
“I struggled so deeply after everything that happened in April 2020 and it was so incredibly painful,” said Sophia.
The loss left the family with trauma they didn’t know how to deal with. Jenny watched her daughter flounder while she looked for support for her without success, she said. As they tried to be there for each other, they realized they could use their experience to help others.
Last year, the family launched a trauma-informed program called Resilient Youth, which offers tools to help kids deal with issues like anxiety, loneliness and pressures from social media.
“We just realized that there wasn’t adequate support in school for mental health issues that inevitably surface for kids,” said Jenny, who also created Yoga In Schools more than a decade ago.
The pair held their first training sessions in Halifax earlier this month. More than 80 educators from across Canada participated.
The turnout was much bigger than they anticipated, which they say shows there’s a demand for youth mental health support
Much of the program is based on what Sophia has learned in the psychology program at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S.
It’s given her the knowledge to translate her painful experience into a way to help others, she said.
“It was the best decision of my life and taking psychology has just informed so much of what we do,” Sophia said.
She has made a big impression on her professors along the way, who describe Sophia as a unique student with a promising future.
“The word inspiring doesn’t really do justice,” said Mary Sweatman, a professor of community development at Acadia.
After Sweatman learned about Sophia’s experience, she had her help teach the course and even give a lecture.
“What Sophia has been able to do is really incredible, using her own experience to create brave spaces for other people to talk about their trauma, to learn, to grow,” Sweatman said.
Based on her education, Sophia and her mother have identified four key components to help children become more resilient with their mental health.
They are self-awareness, mental well-being, connection with others and having a purpose.
“I think it would be awesome to have this curriculum in every school across Canada,” Jenny said.
Jenny says her sister, who was a teacher, would think what they’re doing is a good idea.
“She was such a passionate educator and such a loving mother, and I just think she’d be proud of us,” she said.
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