faces of whistler
COMMUNITY CONNECTORS DAVID BUZZARD
TAKING THE PULSE OF WHISTLER’S MENTAL HEALTH DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
WHISTLER COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JACKIE DICKINSON, PICTURED HERE AT THE SHOE WALL IN THE RE-USE-IT CENTRE, HAS SEEN MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY GO MAINSTREAM IN RECENT YEARS—BUT THE STIGMA REMAINS.
STORY BY BRADEN DUP UIS
T
o wa r d s t h e e n d o f h e r m at e r n i t y l e av e i n l at e 2 0 1 9 a n d early 2020, Jackie Dickinson, executive director of the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS), did as many new mothers do: she hibernated. With spring as her guideline—March 20, to be exact—Dickinson prepared to introduce her new son to the world. “That was my goal—that’s when I’m going to come out of my shell, and I’m going to start walking with this baby, and I’m going to be back out there in the mom groups,” she says. “And it’s humorous, right? Because that’s when the pandemic hit and life just changed. So he is a kid that does not have a lot of connections with the outside world.” In a town built on personal connections and lived experiences, Dickinson and the team at WCSS have shouldered the weight of the community’s anxiety as the COVID-19 pandemic slogs on, continuing to force people apart. Record numbers of Whistlerites have come through WCSS’ doors since March 2020, with more people identifying as being in a crisis than ever before. But Dickinson doesn’t see this a sign of weakness in the community—in fact, quite the opposite. >>
WHISTLER MAGAZINE SUMMER/FALL 2021
29
