The College of New Caledonia has been transformed into a winter wonderland of Trees of CNC.
Within the festive display there is one tree that stands out for its powerful message.
Instructors and students in the Job Education Training (JET) program chose to forgo the traditional evergreen to create their Invisible Tree to raise awareness for those living with invisible disabilities.
The JET program has helped students with these barriers increase their employable skills for more than 35 years through building relationships, classroom preparation, computer lab time and work placements within the community.
Students collaborated with instructors to create the spiraled design with precise measurements, teamwork, and 80 red and gold ornaments. The base of the display features a statue with ribbons cascading out of its head. Each ribbon represents the invisible barriers people may face including depression, autism, hearing loss, and learning disabilities.
“The tree was tricky,” Jason Dauvin, JET’s program coordinator, said.
“Luckily, we had many hands, because there were many, many pieces to figure out. We had done a form of it in the past, but not to the same extent. The spiral was one of the additions that was very hard, because we have students in our class that are very precise with measurements and wanted it to be perfect. It was a lot of measuring, time, teamwork, and collaboration. The students are really the stars of the show on this one.”
Programs across CNC have many people with invisible disabilities or barriers, and the numbers are growing, Dauvin added.
“The last few years have been really tough. It’s really brought to light how much these barriers affect people and how important it is to have supports in place. It’s all about connection and finding where your fit is,” Dauvin said.
One student, Brayden Smith, followed in his brother’s footsteps, joining the JET program this year to learn new coping strategies for his anxiety and depression.
“Doing this tree... it really hits me hard when I look at it,” Smith said. “It says to the world that it’s okay to have invisible disabilities, and that’s a really important message. The JET program has already taught me not to be anxious in the workplace, and how to deal with it when I do feel that way. There are always peers and coworkers you can talk to when you’re feeling down, or sometimes it’s best to just walk away.”
The Trees of CNC display is on now until December 16 in the Gathering Place.
Visitors are encouraged to bring donations to the CNCSU food bank and place them in the bin beside their favourite tree.
For more information on the certificate program in Prince George and Quesnel, or to learn more about other upcoming accessible education opportunities at CNC visit Job Education Training (JET).
