"Foundry was there when I needed help.": Star's Story

When Star first came to Foundry Kelowna, she was feeling a lot of emotions and experiencing anxiety, depression, and painful trauma from her past. “I was also trying to be mentally okay with trying to go to school,” she says. “Foundry was there when I needed help.”  

At Foundry Kelowna, Star learned to feel more comfortable with her emotions and was able to express them in a safe and supportive environment. Instead of feeling like she was “crazy,” she began to understand her depression and anxiety, and the hurt caused by unhealthy relationships and developed tools for managing and overcoming. She gained confidence and courage to take charge of her own health and life, and to grow in independence as a young adult. “I felt lost,” she says. “I felt I did not have a place in this world, or understanding of what do with the rest of my life. I honestly still don’t know how to feel sometimes or some days but I remember that all these feeling are normal and not to be scared…I think what helped me change was actually being okay on my own.”

Star remembers back to kindergarten, and what it felt like to be asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. A ballerina? An astronaut? A doctor or firefighter? Or to be asked what her goals were (“to have a cookie?”). Now that she’s older, she thinks about goals differently. “I think the goal for right now is just to be happy,” she says. “Or to try your best to understand what being happy is like.”

Star has many hopes for what she can accomplish in the future. She says her most important target is to understand that the choices she’s made in the past don’t have to dictate her future. When asked what advice she would give a young person facing similar challenges, Star says, “I think the advice I would give to someone is [to] take a deep breath. Try your best to remember that what you are going through right now does not define your life or your future…Remember that feeling low and down is okay but also remember there are so many resources. Like Foundry.”

Star reminds us that we don’t need to hide from our mental health or feel ashamed for having mental illness or mental health challenges. She says that being able to feel “every emotion in the world” is the greatest thing we get to achieve, and “makes us stronger.”  

A special thanks to Star for sharing her journey with us. And thanks to Tamiko, Youth Services Lead and the whole Foundry Kelowna Team for all that they do for youth in our community.  

To learn more about Foundry Kelowna click here.  

Hope for the Holidays - with your help, we can make this a place where everyone has the care and support they need to live their best lives. Donate now by clicking the donate button at the top of the page, or by visiting Hope for the Holidays | Canadian Mental Health Association Kelowna.