Christina joins Forces Children Scotland team

We welcome Christina MacDonald to the team, who will lead our Lighthouse Project to support pupils from armed forces and veteran families at Queen Victoria School to better understand and enhance mental health and wellbeing.

We listened to the voice of pupils who expressed a need for specific mental health and wellbeing support services to be established within the school. We responded quickly and received funding from ABF: The Soldiers Charity to make things happen.

Christina will deliver mental health support services within a co-created wellbeing room at Queen Victoria School and will work with pupils to co-produce learning resources to help educators, professionals, and parents to better understand the lives they lead.

We caught up with Christina to find out more about herself, how things are going and what she hopes to achieve through the Lighthouse Project.

What inspired you to apply for your role within Forces Children Scotland?

“I am passionate about working with young people. To be able to come alongside them, listen to their stories and find out who they are is a real privilege. As a forces child myself, I also know how incredibly valuable it is to have a safe, stable, and non-judgmental space to work through some of life’s changes and challenges.

“As the Wellbeing Worker based at the Lighthouse in Queen Victoria School, I will be able to support some of the young people there. To enable and empower them to face their futures with both hope and confidence is one of the compelling reasons for applying for this exciting new position with Forces Children Scotland.”

What knowledge, skills & experience do you bring to your role?

“I have worked with young people in several settings over the last 19 years. For the past three years I have successfully managed and developed a small project which involved working with vulnerable young people and adults who have been negatively impacted by parental divorce or separation.

“Creating a safe, non-judgmental, confidential space for someone to recognise the challenges of their current situation, what issues they are facing and then empowering them with certain life skills and tools to cope in a more positive manner has been at the core of the work that I have done. I have developed and written bespoke and adaptable resources to support young people and adults to cope with the various transitions and challenges they faced.

“Additionally, my father was in the Army and, as a child, our family moved every 2-3 years. This has given me a child’s eye perspective of the potential challenges faced by the young people with parents in the forces. This alongside my career history and the skills, perspectives and experiences gained will be incredibly valuable in my role.”

How are things going so far – what’s proved the highlights?

“Things are going well, and it has been an interesting, busy, and exciting time meeting the staff teams at Forces Children Scotland and Queen Victoria School. Meeting the young people that I am going to be working alongside has been one of the biggest highlights so far! The scope of this project and what it hopes to accomplish is incredible and being involved with it in these preliminary stages is also exciting.”

What do you hope to achieve through your project?

“I hope that we will deliver a welcoming, safe, and non-judgmental place for the young people at Queen Victoria School. A place to figure out the issues and the challenges that they are facing. A place where young people are empowered and helped to face their personal challenges with practical strategies that will help them as individuals. A place where they can grow in self-belief and resilience and are able to discern their own paths, overcome obstacles, and recognise their own self-worth and unique abilities.

“I also hope that it is a place where they can laugh, enjoy discovering more about themselves and their peers, form life-long friendships and help each other.”

Learn more about Forces Children Scotland’s mental health and wellbeing services.