What was the initiative?

Starts With Youth strives to support and foster community amongst childhood trauma survivors. The organization aims to raise awareness about the effects of trauma, to facilitate easier resource connection that is mindful of survivors’ intersectional identities, and to develop accessible educational materials. We hope that more survivors and allies can reflect and respond to traumatic experiences earlier in adulthood, so as to reduce revictimization and intergenerational cycles of violence. An often stigmatized topic, Starts With Youth intends to bring conversations about trauma out from within closed doors so that we can work towards a better tomorrow, together as a community.

What was the community connection?

As a trauma survivor myself, Starts With Youth is a project very near and dear to my heart. I have first handedly experienced the devastation that comes with early traumatic experiences, as well as its ongoing effects well into adulthood. While going through my own healing journey, I often felt unseen, misunderstood, and isolated. These are saddening emotions to grapple with, but unfortunately is a reality of many survivors. With this in mind, I realized that survivors are in dire need of an accessible community for individuals to firstly, understand their own experiences and feelings, and to then access appropriate supports. Particularly, I found that relevant support and education for new adults was often limited, as well as supports that were specifically mindful and responsive to diverse social identities. I hope that Starts With Youth can fill some of these gaps, and increase conversations and resource usage related to trauma. I am continuously in awe of the strength and dedication of survivors and allies within our community and dream of a world where every survivor doesn’t feel alone.

How was it innovative?

The Pathy Fellowship equipped me with the knowledge and tools to work towards establishing Starts With Youth’s foundation in a sustainable, community-driven manner. One of the differentiating elements of Starts With Youth is that we are a group of early adults working to support our peers. Many of our team members are survivors themselves and/or allies that have intimate experience with the impacts of trauma. In my experience, I’ve sometimes found that survivors’ voices are not ascribed the credit justly due and as such, are excluded from the development and final decisions of relevant response systems. I believe that it is important that recovery modalities and services are survivor and community-driven – It is one thing to study the unspeakable, another to live it. That being said, there is always space for allies in our community and the more support and understanding that survivors receive from those without these experiences, the better we are towards fostering a more trauma-informed society. We strive to make Starts With Youth relatable and approachable, often drawing from the knowledge derived from our own experiences and those of community members, while also recognizing the need for widespread understanding and initiatives.

What is Prishni doing now?

Prishni has continued her work with Starts with Youth. Her work has deepened her understanding of the importance of children’s rights and a trauma-informed justice system, prompting her to further her studies as a JD candidate in the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.