How It Started: Arise Story Part One
Arise is a culmination of my education, experience, and passion for empowering children and youth. One could say the seeds were planted many years before it all began, but each came into being at the right time. Arise means “to come into being”, another definition I read somewhere is that it means “to be stirred up, to be awake and to prepare for action”. This is what I want for young people. That their power, confidence, and identity would come into being. It’s already there, it just needs to be stirred up and brought forward.
The first seed to begin sprouting was my interest in youth work. It started with volunteering, then a child and youth counselling degree, working at a youth centre, then working in schools, to then becoming a teacher. However, even when I graduated as a teacher in 2018, I knew I didn’t want a traditional classroom. I wanted something more, I had this sense of purpose stirring, and I needed to follow it.
The second was my own transformational experience through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). I was never athletic growing up and I struggled with my confidence. I know what it is like to be told to “just be louder” and to be asked, “Why are you so shy?”. Then one day, BJJ found me. I wasn’t looking for it, but it called to me and I showed up. I showed up again and again. I fought back tears, fear, anxiety, physical pain, tiredness, ego, and lies that told me to give up. But I was hooked and as my skill set grew, my confidence grew, as I risked more, my confidence grew, as I faced my fears, my confidence grew, and as I kept showing up, my confidence grew.
“Feel the fear and do it anyway” resonated. Speak in front of groups of people, no thanks. Become a martial artist, don’t be ridiculous! Start your own business, you what now? Yet, here we are. The perfect alignment of many paths, choices, actions, and mistakes and risks made. Yet, here we are.
I give eternal thanks to those at the beginning who believed in me and my vision (you know who you are). Who volunteered their time, as I volunteered mine. Who paid me for my first paid workshops. Who prayed for and supported me through the ups and downs of life during this time. And to those who spread the word within their networks, amplifying its reach and impact. Because without those sparks, those seeds, this story would be different. Arise was now in action, it was no longer just an idea but a business. Workshop after workshop, each one teaching me something just as valuable. And every PE class I taught, was another opportunity. The impact was apparent…
A boy with autism, whose teacher told me to “let him sit off to the side” because he probably wouldn’t participate, mastered the techniques and made a friend in his class.
Grade 5 girls who took everything so seriously, hanging off every word I said, because even at that age, their safety is a concern for them.
Sensitive, quiet children whose voices were a whisper, yelling proudly to their partners to “stop!”, their shoulders back, and smiles firm.
Deep conversations among teen girls, sharing their lived experiences, the group connecting with one another with empathy and compassion.
How could I not follow this path? The world needs this. Our young people need this more than I need to feel qualified or seek permission. But I constantly doubted myself, who was I to do this? I wasn’t a black belt. I wasn’t a seasoned teacher yet. I felt vulnerable. I was afraid that people would judge me, my teaching, my expertise. Then one conversation hit home.
“You’re right, Jess. If I wanted my girls to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and compete in competitions, I probably wouldn’t sign them up with you. I’d sign them up at a martial arts school with a black belt instructor. But I don’t. I want my girls to feel safe and confident, and to make friends. You offer them that. You offer something that most male-dominated martial arts schools don’t. That’s why you’re different.”
Now the seeds that were sprouting, if we’re still going with this analogy, were really taking root. But if I wanted to grow more, I needed to learn about the business side of things. Enter, Groundswell, a social enterprise that taught social entrepreneurs how to build their businesses. I loved the hands-on experience of learning and putting everything into practice. I met many incredible and inspiring business founders, leaders, and friends over those few months.
Around this time, I started attending North Vancouver Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and their Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Women Empowered program. I found a new jiu-jitsu home that was actively focused on empowering women and placed value on self-defense. I wanted to learn from them and be around people with a similar vision.
Then Covid hit. But I couldn’t and wouldn’t stop. Within a few weeks, I was promoting my first ever Be Your Own Hero program. Six weeks, online, from my living room, with no partner to demo on. It was amazing! I wasn’t ready when I put it out there but I had to be when the girls showed up, and they did. 3+ years later, some of those same girls are still showing up. Showing up for themselves and their futures.
Stay tuned for part 2 💕
