Darryl Kiseyinewakup (Kiss-in-yee-wake-up) is originally from Big Island Lake, Saskatchewan. In 2018, he heard about the Prince George Brain Injured Group (PG BIG) from a therapist at a healing village in Chilliwack and moved to Prince George looking for answers as to “why he was the way he was” after receiving a blow to his head.
Darryl became a regular at BIG, wanting to attend any class he could, so he attended Introduction to Brain Injury. Fascinated by the knowledge he gained, Darryl wanted to learn more so he attended PG BIG’s (6) month Rebuilding after Brain Injury program to help him to cope and develop strategies.
Darryl felt for the first time that he could do more with his life. With the support of a case manager and his own perseverance, Darryl began seeing a tutor to help with his reading so he could go back to school.
In spring of 2019, Darryl was chosen as one of eight (8) students to participate in a new Trades Exploration Program at the College of New Caledonia (CNC) in Prince George.
The program, a first for BC, was developed to help underemployed and unemployed individuals with brain injuries explore trades occupations such as carpenter, automotive service technician, and professional cook and gain the skills needed to obtain entry-level positions in those industries.
Darryl enjoyed learning about all of the careers offered, but his favourite was Automotive Technician. He found he has a knack for tire change overs and enjoyed using the tire machine. “The instructors have been really supportive, and my resume now has references from the automotive instructors at CNC,” Darryl said. “I have confidence in my abilities helping me see past barriers that I had placed on myself.”
Due to the education and support of being part of PG BIG and the opportunity to attend the Trades program, Darryl now sees new possibilities for his future and is working on healing, getting stronger and moving forward. Darryl intends to gain fulltime employment as a tire technician.
Alliance funding provided PG BIG with the opportunity to take on this new program, and to open new doors for people with ABI.
