Participating in Miss World NZ gave Jess Tyson the confidence to open up about being sexually abused as a girl. Photo / Supplied
Participating in Miss World NZ gave Jess Tyson the confidence to open up about being sexually abused as a girl. Photo / Supplied
Jessica Tyson says she never would have spoken up about allegedly being sexually abused as a young girl if she had not entered Miss World New Zealand.
Tyson, 26, visited her old stomping ground, Whanganui High School, last week where she made a presentation to year 13 students for hercharity, Brave.
Brave was born out of Miss World NZ's Charitable Foundation, Beauty With a Purpose and discusses what sexual violence is and encourages victims to speak up.
Tyson has previously presented at Whanganui City College, Whanganui Girls' College and Nga Tawa School, and travels to schools all over New Zealand.
She says the best part about delivering the presentations is receiving messages afterwards from students who share their experiences with her.
"I get a lot of messages from girls who have experienced some form of sexual violence and listening to my story has helped them realise they're not alone," Tyson says.
"That's by far the best feeling, knowing that what we're doing is actually helping people and changing lives."
Born in Whanganui, Tyson is of Te Ātihaunui-a-Papārangi descent and grew up in Whanganui East.
Tyson's dad Raymond Tyson is Māori and she grew up with her triathlete mum Margaret Tyson who motivated her to always strive in life.
Whanganui High School seniors were engaged in Tyson's Brave presentation on Friday, which teaches teens about what sexual violence is and encourages anyone affected to speak up. Photo / Supplied
That started out with a passion for swimming while Tyson attended Whanganui East School and Whanganui Intermediate School before moving onto high school.
It was while attending high school that Tyson had her first taste of pageantry, entering Miss Teen Whanganui 2008.
She placed in the top five, gaining the opportunity to enter Miss Teen World Supermodel in Australia which she won aged 15, earning a trip around the world with her mum.
Tyson says that during the Miss World New Zealand process, participants work on their personal development and that means attending many workshops.
"There was one workshop we had where we started telling the biggest struggles that we've had in life and that's when I started opening up about what happened to me.
"It was pretty emotional. I cried. Right now I can talk about it freely in front of hundreds of people I've never met before, but the initial moment of speaking up was a big risk."
Before announcing Brave, Tyson released a short video she made explaining how she became a victim of sexual abuse.
Tyson was 8 when she attended a court trial against the man who allegedly sexually abused her, but the case was lost.
Despite that, with the support of her family Tyson received counselling and her healing process began. Now she is helping others to do the same.
After placing runner-up in Miss World New Zealand in 2016, Tyson returned for another crack in 2018 and was crowned Miss World New Zealand.
That resulted in a trip to Miss World in China where Tyson was named Miss World Oceania after finishing in the top six, the highest a Kiwi had placed in 20 years.
While wearing that crown, Tyson also manages, coaches and judges other competitors, most recently judging at Miss Rotorua.
There, the winner was Evarna Koia of Ngāti Maniapoto, a former meth addict who had spent time in prison for theft.
Like Tyson before her and many other young women before them, Koia is the benefactor of a beauty pageant.
As well as competing and promoting her charity, Tyson has a bachelor of communications gained at Auckland University of Technology.
She was not too immersed in Māori culture growing up and wanted to change that after attending a pōwhiri when she arrived to study in Auckland.
"That was when I realised how beautiful it is and I wanted to get more involved. It was actually quite a hard experience because I was really jumping out of my comfort zone.
"It's something that has definitely changed my life and if I didn't have my Māori culture and I didn't research where I was from, I wouldn't be the person I am today."
Tyson hopes to present Brave to all Whanganui secondary schools, concluding with Cullinane College and Whanganui Collegiate School.
SEXUAL HARM - DO YOU NEED HELP?
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone contact Safe to Talk confidentially:
• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email support@safetotalk.nz
• For more info or to web chat visit www.safetotalk.nz
