At 15, Jessica Olsen has discovered her purpose in life.
The Sierra Lutheran High School sophomore is starting a peer group for teens in response to what she describes as nearly three years of bullying at middle school.
Olsen has created SHINE - Scarred Hearts in Need of Encouragement.
"I really wanted the name to be SHINE," Olsen said. "It's a good word that kind of encompasses hope and really breaking free of anything that is dark or holding you down."
With the assistance of Debbie Posnien, executive director of the Suicide Prevention Network, Olson is inviting teens and adults to a rally and training session Thursday at the East Fork Fire & Paramedic districts meeting room, 1694 County Road, Minden.
The rally is 10-11 a.m., and training will follow.
Douglas County schools are closed Thursday for Veterans Day.
She hopes to begin the twice-monthly support group meetings in January.
Olsen emphasized that the support group is a place for kids to talk. Two adults also will be in attendance at each meeting to provide guidance or resources.
"I'm not a counselor," she said. "I want to be that person that other kids can come talk to for support and to help them through whatever they're experiencing. I want to show them there is another side to life."
The rally and training will focus on suicide prevention and awareness, outlining ways to respond to troubled peers, recognize signs of suicide risk and outline serious responses.
Olsen said her experience began when she was in sixth grade and transferred from one elementary school to another in a boundary change.
She and her family attributed some of the change to a new school, followed by the next year's adjustment from elementary school to middle school.
She stayed active in school activities, had friends and even made an unsuccessful run for class president at the end of eighth grade.
She wasn't upset at losing the election, but discovered that students pulled down her campaign signs and accused her of doing the same thing to other candidates.
In ninth grade, she said the isolation and bullying intensified to the point where she dreaded going to school.
"I became isolated. It wasn't exactly my choice. My best friends stopped talking to me and started talking about me," she said. "The trust was broken in a lot of friendships."
Rumors started circulating about her behavior in and out of school. People "accidentally" bumped her in the hallways, aggravating a back injury. The name calling followed - "slut" and "whore."
Someone sent a text that urged her "to jump off a cliff because the world would be better off without me."
Olsen said she tried to find out why her friends turned on her.
"At one point, I sat people down and I said, 'I am sorry if I offended anyone,'" Olsen said.
For several months, Olsen endured the increasing harrasment without telling her parents. But her grades began to drop and she became more and more withdrawn.
Toward the end of the school year, Olsen said she "thought there was no point in going on."
"There seemed to be no end to the torment, no other escape and no way out," she said.
Without getting into specifics, Olsen's parents Carlene and Dave became aware of their daughter's desperation and turned to their church and the school for help.
"Once my parents knew, I could lean on them," she said. "I didn't tell them before. They didn't know. It was such a relief to tell them. Their support was fantastic."
"We met with the counselors and brought it to their attention," Carlene Olsen said. "They said they wanted to investigate it, and seemed concerned and wanted to help."
Olsen said because of confidentiality issues, school officials weren't free to discuss the measures that were taken.
"It got no better," Carlene Olsen said. "It tore me apart. Jessica couldn't make it through the day. She would call me to come and pick her up."
She was allowed to take her finals outside the school day and finished the year.
Over the summer, the Olsens registered Jessica at Sierra Lutheran High School with just about 100 students at the private school.
"Everybody loves everbody else at that school," Jessica said. "Nobody gets left out. You can just walk up to anybody and talk to them. It's got its drama, of course, but the school is really supportive."
Everywhere Olsen tells her story, she said kids come up to her with similar experiences.
"I think it would really have helped me a lot to talk to people I know I can trust, who are supportive of me. I can relate to these kids with a lot of what I have been through. What I learned is no matter how bad it might seem, there is a way to get through it. The good things will cancel out the bad."
Olsen also had the support of her best friend, 15-year-old Matthias West.
"He was always, always there. He would do anything for me. I could trust him and tell him anything. He is really a blessing," she said.
Olsen said she continues to get the occasional text message and understands her plans may reactivate her detractors.
"It's in the back of my mind, but I don't care any more. That experience has made me a stronger person. I know I am doing this for so many other kids. No matter what happens, it's worth it," she said.
YOU CAN HELP
SHINE
Scarred Hearts In Need of Encouragement, support group for teens, meetings 5-6:30 p.m. second and fourth Wednesdays of the month beginning in January. Location to be determined; information, Debbie Posnien, Suicide Prevention Network, 783-1510.
An account has been set up to raise funds to pay rent for a meeting room, literature and advertising. Organizers also hope to enter a float in the Parade of Lights, Dec. 4. Donations may be made at any Wells Fargo Bank, account No. 301 386 4560.
YOUTH RALLY
Suicide prevention awareness rally and training, 10-11 a.m., training 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, East Fork FIre & Paramedics meeting room, 1694 County Road, Minden. Information, 783-1510.