Jasmine Rakhra
Jasmine started working as one of the FamilySmart® Youth in Residence at the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre in August 2017. She is a recent graduate from the University of Victoria, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. What inspired her to work in the mental health field is her own lived and living experience with PTSD and Depression. Her journey within the system began when she was 8 years old as a result of having experienced trauma from a young age and intergenerational trauma within her family. From her experiences, she is now able to help others by providing peer support, sharing what resources helped her during her lowest points, and being living proof that you can and will get through whatever you may be dealing with.
Veronica Cho
Veronica started working as one of the FamilySmart® Youth in Residence at the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre in July 2017. In previous years, some of the things she has done include teaching English in South Korea at a rural elementary school; living and working in South Africa to pursue her interests in social entrepreneurship and mentorship within the non-profit sector; and participating in various global youth summits in which she had the opportunity to provide recommendations for the economic advancement of girls and women to the G20 leaders. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was eighteen years old, her lived experience with mental illness has been the greatest driver of her determination to carve her own path in life and to thrive despite the challenges. She has learned that she is stronger and more resilient than her mental illness. She feels incredibly humbled and privileged to have the opportunity to help youth and families who are struggling with mental health challenges reach that conclusion themselves in the work she does as a FamilySmart® Youth in Residence.