Community Spotlight: Koryn Heisler
Meet Koryn!
We had the pleasure of sitting down for a candid conversation with Koryn—a mother, founder and owner of This World’s Ours Centre, author, and educator.
Inspired by her wonderful children, Koryn created This World’s Ours Centre: a safe space where kiddos feel they belong, are safe, and are welcomed unconditionally.
Read on for Koryn’s story and the incredible work she and her team do!
“Build your community so that it keeps going long after you are gone.”
Can you tell us about the centre and the kind of programming that you offer?
Koryn: We run programming to support families with kids that are neurodiverse. We offer after school kids club, cooking classes, social skills groups, parents night out, and probably our most popular, our camps on Pro-D Days and school break holidays. We also have office spaces that we contract out to service providers, including OTS, SLPs, physios, counsellors, art therapists, and music therapists. They do all their own booking and billing and they use our space for sessions. We also do events and birthday parties in the centre on the weekends.
What is your story and background? What led you to starting the centre?
Koryn: I have a background in teaching, and I was a Special Ed teacher for a number of years. Then, I had my own kids, who are now 11, 13, and 14. My youngest two, both were diagnosed with autism, as well as a few other diagnoses. We were struggling with finding a place for them where they felt they could attend programming, felt that they had a community, and where we could get all the services in one spot.
My husband and I were working full time, and we were trying to juggle getting kids to SLP, OT, counselling, and all their sessions.The catalyst was one year when my daughter got into a community centre—an inclusive camp. I'd kind of planned this couple weeks where I had gotten all the kids in camp. I would get a break to myself. It was barely an hour into day one, and I already got called to come pick her up, and that was when I thought: If this is an inclusive camp and she can't be a part of it, then where do families like me go? Because there's got to be something better. I figured I can't be the only parent struggling with finding places for their kids and places that are fun! My kids get so much therapy, but they don't often get the fun recreational programming.
I realized this was my chance to pivot. Working at a school board while raising kids with disabilities can be challenging. You’re doing your job, understanding what you'd want for your own child, but realizing the system doesn’t always make it possible. So, I was also struggling to align my values with what I wanted for my family, and it all came together at the right time. I started the centre in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit, and we officially opened in May 2022.
What is your approach to creating a truly inclusive space?
Koryn: I think the biggest value we talk about as a staff is that, as a parent of a child with disabilities, you often don't feel welcome in many places. When you drop your kid off at school, you can sense the 'oh, we're in for another day' attitude, or you're constantly hearing about what's wrong.
That’s why our big thing was parents and kids need to feel welcome the second they walk in the door, and parents need to hear something good about their kid every day, because they're not always hearing that from other places. At least I wasn't as a parent. It's important for my staff to know who the kids are, and something about them. They genuinely welcome families every time they walk in. You can have all the background, education, and experience, but when families walk through that door, what matters most is how kind you are. We can teach the rest, but that attitude is critical.
How have your years of teaching experience helped shape the way you approach the programs offered at This World’s Ours?
Koryn: To be very honest, I've had to do a lot of unlearning from the school system. I've had to have a lot of conversations around what I did as a teacher and what I wanted to see differently in this space. From what I see, there's some trauma with the school board. I didn't want that for my space. I wanted it to be a safe space. It’s been a lot of asking myself, “What was I doing there?” What wasn’t working? And what do we need to do differently?”
My background in education gives people the impression that it shapes my approach, but I spend so much of my time trying not to do some of those things. My staff are a very creative, diverse group of people who bring a lot of really good ideas and experience. A lot of it is honestly taking their lead. Every day, they show up, trying new strategies and putting new systems in place. They keep pushing forward, evolving their approach, with the goal of finding what works for each kiddo!
If you could give one piece of advice to parents of neurodiverse children, what would it be?
Koryn: I know for me, the biggest thing was working hard on building a group of people around my family that were there, and that love them no matter what. People that showed up for us at any point in time. It can be hard and it's a lot of work. But having that has made some of the more difficult days a little bit easier. Just having those people that you can talk to helps. I mean, maybe they don't have the answers. I don't always have the answers, but just having somebody there is a pretty big piece. I see that missing with a lot of parents that come in. It's that feeling of isolation and loneliness, and needing a connection with somebody. It usually becomes one more thing to do.
While everything I did when my kids were little took a lot of time and effort, it was probably the most critical thing I did. Keeping up with those friendships and showing up is so important. Being there for people so that they, in return, were there for us when we needed it. As my kids have gotten older, it's been huge to have those people they trust and who love them. My daughter even calls one of our friends her second mommy!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given on your journey?
Koryn: I had all three kids, who were 18 months apart, and I mean, I was just running. There were never enough hours in the day. I remember calling my mom one day and saying, “Everything’s falling apart”. The kids were screaming. It took me 45 minutes to get my daughter in the car. She was kicking, and a milkshake flew across the back seat. It was a total disaster.
I remember her saying to me: “Koryn, you know what you're doing for those kids, and you know what you’re doing is right. So just hold your head high. Don't look at the people around you—just be confident in what you're doing. Head up.” So that's what I tried. It’s so simple, but I thought, You know what? I'm not going to worry about what anyone else thinks. I know I'm doing the best I can for these kids right now. So, I put my head up and just went for it. That’s probably the best piece of advice I've ever gotten. My older sister is also special needs, so my mom had some experience raising three little kids and one of them being autistic as well.
Any tips for service providers on avoiding burnout?
Koryn: Absolutely, and that's a big one—especially for us in the summer, when we run about nine weeks of back-to-back camps. These are long days, yet our staff show up every day with a smile. Some basic things we’ve done are hosting staff get-togethers mid-summer and again at the end of the season to boost morale a little bit.
My admin team is amazing! They check in with everyone to make sure they're okay. They’ll show up with coffee one day or bring treats on someone's birthday. And sometimes, you just have to laugh and let loose with some humour. The best part is that the staff are incredibly invested in the kids and the work they're doing, but they also know how to have fun and enjoy the time with the kids!
We still hit burnout from time to time. When it happens, we make sure staff have the opportunity to take time off and recharge.
What is the most rewarding part of This World’s Ours?
Koryn: I know for the staff, it's those achievements—the goals they've been working towards. Like when a child has a great social interaction, or just the other day, a parent stood off to the side to watch their child play in kids club. Later, they told the staff that it was the first time they’d ever seen their child play with another kid. I remember when my own child made a friend or when someone showed up at a birthday party. Those moments are huge. For the staff, it's those meaningful moments that keep them going.
For me, I love those parent connections, but I also love seeing that safe space. My husband and I say all the time: we feel safe bringing our kids there, and it's all because of the staff. I get a lot of pride and joy seeing the way my staff interact with parents, kids, and service providers. I would have killed to have somebody welcome me like this with my kids kicking and screaming as I walked in the door as a new parent.
I'm most proud of my staff. And I think they're most proud of the kids.
A big thank you to Koryn for taking the time to share her story and tell us more about This World’s Ours Centre! To learn more, visit her website: thisworldsours.com
