Tishanna's sisterhood: Beauty queen helps women, teens through mentorship programme

Tishanna Mitchell has had her turn in the pageantry spotlight, and now that she has moved on to a new chapter of her life, she is using her positive pageantry takeaways to help other young women learn how to make their way into their own spotlights.

Her SHE project – Sisterhood Empowerment Mentorship Programme – is a holistic developmental programme that targets teenagers and young women from 14 to 25. She said the programme will be curated to suit the individual themselves with an aim of developing and sending out more confident, powerful women into the world.

"We will be focussing on development in three categories – health, both physical and mental; education; and body positivity. For four to six weeks we will host workshops on things like self awareness, personality traits, social awareness, health, nutrition, physical education, mental health, and body positivity," she told WMN.

"We have a partnership with the mental health and wellness M.I.A. Project TT, the YMCA, and Selah House of Fashion, which will be offering guidance on things like body types, confidence etc." But, she said, although the contributions made by her partners are priceless, more funding will be necessary for the smooth running of the programme.

The 28-year-old Chaguanas resident is a counselling psychologist and was the second-runner-up in the Miss World TT pageant in 2018 – playing the steelpan in a talent segment; she's a member of Republic Bank Exodus Steel Orchestra – and this year's Miss Universe TT second-runner-up. She said her background in psychology and pageantry created the perfect marriage opportunity for the SHE project.

Mitchell said when she was growing up she had her own issues with confidence and always had a lot of questions about herself, so psychology was a natural trajectory. She did a bachelor's degree at UWI, St Augustine, majoring in psychology and communication studies. She did her master's in counselling psychology at the University of the Southern Caribbean, in Maracas, St Joseph.

"I did my internship at Families in Action and also worked in the private sector with two independent psychologists. About a year and a half ago I started my own private practice, Therapy Me TT."

Mitchell said when she was 18 she entered her first pageant as a challenge to herself.

"Because of my confidence issues when I was growing up, I decided to jump off the boat and into ocean."

She gave it a break for a few years then decided to give it a try again at 26.

"Two years later, I gave it my last try...I have learned everything I need to learn from pageantry. That chapter is closed and I steering my attention on investing in my community and helping young women coming up."

But, she said, her own developmental approach will most certainly not be the right fit for every young woman.

"Because a lot of them can’t make that leap, I decided to create a safe environment in which young women can build their confidence in different aspects of their lives in various ways. Creating a safe environment is crucial...I think with my involvement in pageantry and my background in psychology I have the ability to relate to and connect with young women."

She said there are a lot of development aspects that go into pageantry that people don’t know.

"A lot of people don’t see behind the glitz and glamour. I decided to take the key components from it that benefitted me and coupled with my professional expertise to create the mentorship programme."

What made her pageantry experiences interesting was that her challenge was finding her beauty within a system that has certain beauty standards.

"My competition was against myself. I did not get the crown but came out being the person I wanted to be, pleased with who I saw in the mirror. I became confident and didn’t compare myself to any standard of beauty. I chose a brand I wanted to attach to my name and that was reflected my morals and values. Now I want to motivate others."

She said she plans to get participants in the programme to eventually return and give back. Ultimately, she envisions a wellness centre that offers various forms of support and healing systems.

"In essence, this SHE project on steroids where young people can find find the help they need through art therapy, music therapy etc., where people can find their safe haven. I'm looking this in maybe five to seven years...We have a responsibility to uplift upcoming generations."

Mitchell has noticed that, especially over the past two years, there have been an increase in the number of young people making appointments to see her in her professional capacity.

"Maybe it because of the online barrier with virtual sessions, but whatever it is, it's a good thing. I'm glad to see that young people are taking their mental health more seriously; that they understanding that therapy is not something that is meant to be permanent, but a bridge to get them from one place to another. As psychologists we do not steer anyone in a particular direction. We just give them the tools to bring stability to their chaos. The hard work is theirs."

The pilot of the SHE project is will take place at the Wrightson Road, Port of Spain compound of the YMCA.

"We are gauging for January 21 as our start date for the first group, on Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm."

Anyone interested in participating in the SHE project can email tishanna_mitch@hotmail.com with their name and contact number.