THREE-time jujitsu world champion Shantelle Thompson has said she likes to give back to her community by using her platform as a role model to inspire the Indigenous youth.
As a proud mother of six and half-First Nations, Thompson seeks to brings a unique and enlightening perspective to her life and work.
Her circumstances and upbringing have motivated her to achieve what she has, and she shows no signs of slowing down.
“When I was 15, I was told by a teacher I was more likely to end up dead or pregnant than I was to finish school,” she said.
“I could have lived in that, and no one would blame me, but something inside me said no, I’m not going to let someone define who I am.”
Thompson founded the Kiilalaana Foundation, which seeks to offer Indigenous young people a place to be themselves.
It provides a space where they can play and learn things and allows them to do so in an environment that allows them to embrace their ancestral roots.
“I started Kiilalaana as an after-school program for girls when I was pregnant with my son, and I had no idea it would become what it is,” Thompson said.
“When the kids walk up to the door, they bang on it because they are so excited to be there and know they are all welcome.”
Jujitsu was used by Thompson as a form of physical therapy to overcome postnatal depression after the birth of her twins in 2009.
She would go on to compete for the national wrestling team and win three jujitsu world championships.
“When I won my first world title in 2015, my first thought wasn’t that I had achieved my goal, I thought, what’s next?” she said.
“This season of jujitsu is for me. I want to see who I can become. I want to see how far I can go with a black belt.”
