Dr. Puni Kalra’s
strategy included
a tailored mental
health crisis
intervention and a
youth mentorship
program.
partnered with trauma therapists from Children’s Hospital of
Wisconsin, providing them with
language translation and cultural
context. The children’s teachers and school counselors soon
became involved, too, meeting
with the team to learn about
Sikh culture and about specific
challenges these kids faced upon
returning to school, such as bullying and increased symptoms of
anxiety and PTSD.
“This kind of collaboration
was wonderful because it made
the entire Oak Creek community stronger,” Kalra says.
RIPPLE EFFECTS
Kalra knew that for the efforts
to last, she had to empower the
community to help itself. One
solution was launching the Sikh
Brother Sikh Sister mentor-
ship program, where she trained
young adult members of the
temple to continue and grow the
groups that had already started.
While the effort was originally
intended just for the group of
younger children, it soon became
apparent the teens wanted to
continue to meet, too.
Kalra worked with the men-
tors each week to nurture their
leadership skills and to help
them plan activities that would
meet each group’s developmental
needs and interests. There were
ice-breaking activities so kids
could get to know each other bet-
ter, and team-building activities,
such as navigating ropes courses,
rock climbing and playing out-
door games. The kids also joined
together to work in soup kitchens
and learned more about their
own Sikh history. With Gill’s
mentorship, for instance, the
teens put together posters looking
at influential men and women
in Sikh history, which they later
presented to the congregation.
Mentors also coached the
teens on next steps, in particular
on how to apply to colleges and
for student loans.
The mentorship program ran
formally for about two years,
but it continues to have ripple effects. Every August, the
community comes together for a
6K race to honor the six people
who were killed. The mentorship
continues, just in a more organic
way, Gill says.
These days, Kalra visits Oak
Creek four times a year to check
in. “They have become my family,” she says. “This is an inspiring
community of people who
embody the spirit of resilience.
It’s been a highlight of my life
to be a part of their healing
journey.” ■
