Finding My Safe Space

Jackfruit trees are not native to Uganda. They were introduced in the late 1800s and continue to thrive in that climate.

To Christine, the jackfruit tree was more than a plant. It was her friend, her confidant, and her safe space. Much of Christine’s childhood and early teen years were spent dancing and playing in and around the tree.

Christine loved to move! She ran track and incorporated dance into her everyday life. She danced professionally to traditional Ugandan music, and through the magic of television, Christine also learned contemporary dance.

In addition to her passion for dance, Christine has always been passionate about being her authentic self. Christine identified as a member of the 2SLGBTQAI+ community, but in Uganda, being queer was a crime, which angered her

After high school, Christine became very vocal. While protesting in support of queer rights, Christine was arrested and thrown in jail. Christine’s mom was able to get her out, but she feared for Christine’s safety.

As the political climate shifted more and more against the 2SLGBTQAI+ community, Christine’s mom decided that it was time to go on a vacation to Canada.

Christine was surprised by this sudden decision, as Christine had never been outside of her country, until now. Christine, her mom, and her brother, flew to Toronto to visit family friends. After the two-week visit, Christine’s mom decided that they should see more of Canada, before heading home, so they flew to BC.

While staying at the Holiday Inn, in Surrey, they met up with another relative. After a week, it was time to head back to Uganda. It was then that Christine’s mom pulled her aside and told her that she was not going back to Uganda. Her mom explained, “I can’t protect you there. If you end up in jail again, I don’t know that I will be able to help you.”

The family member didn’t have room for Christine, so they sent her to stay with someone they knew. Christine was extremely angry, upset, and scared. She was in a foreign country, staying with people that she didn’t know, and trying to navigate a system that was unfamiliar to her.

 To try and ease her angst, the family suggested that she go hang out at a local community centre, where she might find some sense of community.

Over time, Christine began talking to people and making acquaintances. She met a person who was also from Uganda and began to explain her situation. This person was familiar with Covenant House Vancouver (CHV) and knew that they could help Christine, so the acquaintance offered to take her there.

Christine explained her situation, during a brief intake interview with a CHV staff member. Wanting to support Christine, the staff member offered to take her to go get her suitcase, as that was all she owned now. Christine declined the offer. She had to do this alone. Christine retrieved her suitcase, thanked the family and headed back to CHV on transit. During the commute, Christine wept openly. The tears expressed the gamut of emotions that Christine was feeling. “There were so many layers. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was freedom, because up until now, I’d never stood on my own two feet, I always lived under my mom’s wings. It was a confusing emotion, because there was a sense of relief, but I was also scared, and yet, I was also free for the first time.”

For the first week, Christine just slept. Staff would do wellness checks, but respected her space and left her alone until she was ready to interact.

When Christine was ready, she sat down with her case worker and began to unpack what her immediate needs were. “I needed a lawyer to help me get legal aid, because I needed to start my asylum process. Then CHV connected me to resources like QMUNITY, where I met other youth. I was working on a lot of things with my case manager. They helped me get my ID, so that I could get my first job.”

Christine worked very hard with her case worker on her budgeting and planning. Staff helped Christine create and build on her resume, and she was encouraged to take advantage of all that CHV had to offer to help support her growth. Once a week, Christine would go to the clothing room and pick out an outfit, she would receive bus passes to help her get around, and tickets to shows and events that helped inspire her and give her hope.

Staff offered Christine the opportunity to talk to a counsellor, but in the beginning, she simply wasn’t ready. One day, approximately two months into her stay, Christine saw some youth participating in an open art therapy session. Curious about this opportunity, Christine engaged.

“In art therapy, I could express myself without words. I could just use my body or use my hands and a bunch of props, paint, and colour, and I could express my emotions. And then, I got to learn about my emotions, but outside of my body. I was like, ‘oh, that is so cool.’”

After that session, Christine’s interest was piqued. “My experience with that art session made me become curious about therapy.” She then agreed to meet with a counsellor. During the first few sessions, Christine did not talk about her experiences or trauma, she began to ask the counsellor all about their profession.

“I really did not know what to do in therapy or what to talk about. So, I started asking questions. Instead of talking about myself, I was asking my therapist about themselves and what they do and why they do it. And the way that they were responding to me, it felt like something that I’d always wanted to do.”

Christine explained that in Uganda, you didn’t talk about mental health. If you had a problem, you buried it deep within yourself. “We didn’t talk about it. I didn’t have any language whatsoever around my mental health or even my emotional well-being. I didn’t realize that you could make a career out of talking to someone. This fascinated me.”

From that point on, Christine met with her counsellor on a regular basis. She gravitated to narrative art and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy).

“The empowering and the processing parts of therapy are what appealed to me, because it was something that I had been looking for, and it’s also something that I had always wanted to provide to my community. The fact that you could sit down and have a safe place to talk about things that were going on in your life that were scary, and through this become empowered.

I’ve been searching for that missing piece since I was a kid. That’s why I became an activist. I was trying to fight for a safe space for people like me, or for the people who were showing up like me. I thought that being an activist meant that you needed to march down the street to raise awareness. But you could also do this. You can empower someone, and you can validate them, and you can reassure them and make them feel not so alone. That was pretty cool for me, and I wanted to be a part of it!”

With the support of CHV staff, Christine’s confidence began to grow. She began to cultivate her creative side through photography, modelling, and background work in film. The more connection that Christine found, the more that she began to enjoy her life in Canada. CHV helped her create these connections and through all of her endeavours, Christine began to make friends.

In addition to her regular counselling sessions, Christine consistently met with her case manager. Part of their sessions involved working on Christine’s vision board to help her keep track of where she’s come from, where’s she’s at, and to formulate the next steps to get her to where she wanted to go.

After eight months, Christine had a full-time job, she knew her way around the city, and she was starting to feel confident. During a meeting, her case manager summed up where Christine was at and presented her with an option: “You are comfortable with getting around, your finances are stable, and you have savings. Would you like to move into more independent housing?”

There was no pressure for Christine to move, but Christine felt that she was ready to be more in charge of her own well-being and to enjoy the freedom that came with that. With that, Christine’s case manager began to connect Christine to organizations that will help support her with her transition.

The case manager set up a meeting between Christine and the Broadway Youth Resource Centre (BYRC), who explained their program to Christine and presented her with housing options. During Christine’s first year of living independently, she was able to access resources at CHV through the Drop-In Centre. Here, she could continue to access the clothing room for outfits, she could have meals, and she could attend any of the events that were offered to youth at CHV. And, if she ever needed more support, Christine knew that she could always come back and access a bed at CHV.

“The plan to transition to independent housing was well rounded and very supportive. When I left CHV, it never felt like goodbye. They always kept the door open for me, which helped me, mentally. If I ever doubted myself, or if residual fear from my past crept up on me, I knew that I could always go back. Just knowing that CHV was there for me and that my case manager was just a phone call away kept me going. It was like my safety blanket. Everyone needs a safety blanket.”

After two years of independent living, Christine was feeling stable. She had friends, community, she had a job that she liked, she could pay her bills, and she had a better understanding of Canadian society.

Christine has always been fascinated with human behaviour. She was taking psychology at university in Uganda, but she dropped out because it wasn’t exactly what she wanted. Now, in Canada, she was ready to go back to school, but what to take?

BYRC let Christine know that VCC offers the Education and Career Exploration course, where through a series of assessments and tests, you can figure out what vocation will best suit you. The course was a month long, and through BYRC, tuition was covered for Christine. Through all of the tests and assessments, the theme of counselling came up repeatedly. This idea appealed to Christine.

Through someone that Christine knew, she learned about a private college that offered programs in counselling. At college, Christine took the life skills coaching program and then the counselling program. As soon as she finished school, Christine began to work in the field of counselling.

Christine has taken some dance classes while in Canada, but now she uses it for personal healing, as well as in her counselling. While in school, Christine learned about Somatic Experiencing, which is body-oriented trauma therapy. “Dancing, for me, is my biggest outlet. I dance to feel better. I dance when I’m sad. I dance when I’m crying. I dance when I’m happy. It’s allowed me to release so much from my body, so much trauma.”

“Covenant House did things for me that even my own family didn’t do. For me, that was highly transformative.”

Like the jackfruit tree, Christine has put down roots in a new country and is thriving. She is now the confidant and safe space for others that the tree was for her.

Our Double Match Is on Now!

The transformative work that Christine did, while at Covenant House Vancouver, never would have happened without the amazing support of our community. Donors are the backbone of our organization.

Right now, when you support young people, like Christine, your gift will be doubled, thanks to the Wubs Family Foundation, who will match any gift, up to $100,000, but only until June 30^th!