Brendan took part in a writing workshop in Perth. Here, he tells us more about this and shares his poems with us.
Perth writers’ workshop
I was given the opportunity to go to a writers’ workshop in Perth. The hosts of the group were Professors from Oxford University. They taught us about different forms of writing. One of the methods they taught us was flash poetry. I had not heard of it before. Basically the way of it was to write as few words as possible while having a lot of impact. I enjoyed it and wrote this:
I met a girl at the station. We kissed and then got married. I should have just shook hands and left her at the station.
A selection of Brendan’s writing
The Multitude of Mankind
The multitude of mankind
Striving for immortality
As if she who is will pay no heed
To this progress of humanity
With their toxic waste through nuclear fusion
Acid rain from air pollution
And superior brains with no solution
Time has come for her absolution
But what forces can she bring to battle
Man ignores her sabre rattle
No more thunder
No more lightning
Man is far too ignorant
Too easily frightened
What has she left to aid her plight
Something else to ease this blight
Maybe ice will cool their ardour
No, not this time
She’ll try much harder
What of plague
It worked before
No not this time
They know much more
What of flood without a warning
No, man’s too adept to fall for drowning
She’s very wise this mother of earth
She’ll utilise patience to ensure their death.
The Politician
Life plays like a bad game of chance
The winners applauded
Embrace all with their thanks
And carry on regardless
Their self-image to enhance
These political people
You will not know first hand
You’ll have heard much of their rhetoric
Which you don’t understand
But as these are the people
Who help run our land
You’ll applaud like the rest
When they dictate from the stand
Don’t question our plans
When we send you to war
Just do as you’re told
Isn’t that what you’re for
Spiral into Madness
Free from your embrace
Loneliness to follow
Cast off and aloof
In self-pity I wallow
What am I looking for
Searching for answers
I don’t have the questions for
These misgivings persist
Devil sent
Even in sleep
My soul to torment
Life is so simple
I should be content
But no peace for me
Was ever meant
Unless of course
It’s heaven sent
Catch 22
We are all immobilised
Confined to a system
Which society has improvised
In order to assist them
The young citizen is mollified
Delusions of grandeur
Their parents more civilised
Conditioned the longer
The people not satisfied
Accept with a grumble
The conditions most certified
To ensure they stay humble
The classless are ostracised
Alienated all the more
By a system that has authorised
Deprivation to their door
The criminals are traumatized
Affected by their maker
Imprisoned and ratified
Authority’s best hater
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This year, Future Pathways will be offering peer support sessions. Mary, our Peer Support Lead, tells us more about it.
What is Peer Support?
‘Peer Support’ is a way of connecting with people who have gone through similar things in life. People can come together to socialise, learn and share things that have helped them get through the hard times. The special thing about Peer Support is that everyone is equal and understands each other, because they have been through something similar.
Peer Support can happen in a lot of different ways like social groups, education sessions, one-to-one catch ups or with a mentor. Peer Support is not about fixing problems. It is about being with other people who understand you, and feeling heard and accepted. Everyone gets something out of the relationship and feels connected.
Why are we introducing Peer Support at Future Pathways?
We know from feedback that people registered with Future Pathways would like Peer Support. So, we are now taking steps to make that happen.
Peer Support can help people feel less alone and more hopeful about the future. It can be nice to spend time with people who have been through what you have. And it can help people feel part of a community
What will Peer Support be like at Future Pathways?
To start with, Future Pathways will offer monthly Peer Support groups – both online and in person across the UK. Sometimes it will be a social coffee and a chat. Other times, we will get guest speakers in to teach us something we are interested in.
There is never any pressure to share your lived experience when you come to a Peer Support group. It is just about spending time with each other, connecting, meeting new people and building supportive relationships
Next steps
The first groups will be starting in the next few months. You can let me know your ideas about what is important to you in Peer Support, what you would like to do or learn, and where we should run our groups. I am also happy to answer any questions or talk more about what
Peer Support is. You can:
- email me at peer-support@future-pathways.co.uk
- phone me on 07552 393 019
When the plan is confirmed, we will send information to everyone registered with Future Pathways (including those on the waitlist). We will also share information on our website, in our newsletter and on social media.
I am looking forward to starting Peer Support with you!
Here, Selina shares how she uses knitting to support her wellbeing, create something meaningful to her, and live better.
As a child I had been taught to knit by my Granny and had, over the years, produced the occasional rather plain stocking stitch jumper or cardigan but little else.
As a survivor of in-care abuse and trauma, I was put in touch with Future Pathways through the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry team. Re-engaging with my childhood trauma was a very hard process to go through but was needed to enable my younger self’s voice to finally be heard through the giving of my Witness Statement.
I began to find solace at this very difficult time by the simple act of picking up my knitting needles once more and free knitting a couple of blankets using different colours and textured stitches. The very act of knitting, as well as producing something warm and comforting, was crucial to maintaining my emotional well-being despite the numerous flashbacks I was experiencing.
I talked to my Future Pathways Support Coordinator about my knitting and how much I was enjoying it. Much to my astonishment, he suggested that they would help me purchase some yarn so I could knit something meaningful to me at this time.
Well, I was in yarn heaven looking online at all the colours and types of yarn on offer. I like knitting with natural fibres and found the best colour palette selection was a 4ply (quite a thin yarn) in 100% Alpaca that I could knit with double thread (i.e. one colour each from two different balls at the same time) which would enable colour transitions as well as texture.
The colours on offer started me thinking about the association I wanted to make with my knitting, my Witness Statement and the process I was going through. I began to realise that my childhood was divided into three phases: pre-boarding school in East Africa (happy); in boarding school in Scotland (miserable); and post boarding school in the desert by the Nile in Africa (happy).
I let the colours choose themselves which I know sounds odd but I literally saw the blue sky, the vivid sea, the red sand, the freezing winter etc all represented on the website screen in the yarn.
A couple of days later, 20 balls of soft and squishy alpaca were delivered to me and I knew I could work with this incredibly tactile material in an emotionally free but calm way. This would enable me to create something that would be significant at this time but also help me safely capture the awful middle part of my childhood within the happier times in Africa.
The answer was a poncho knitted in two strips in garter stitch that I could wear to keep me warm and give me comfort whilst also clearly showing in colour the three phases of my childhood.
When I knitted the first half, I used black to denote bad memories amongst the other colours. When I had completed it, I realised that even in my happy times in Africa there were a couple of black lines: a monkey being kept in a tiny cage; animals being slaughtered in the streets after Ramadan.
This struck me very much and, extraordinarily, that visual representation helped me accept and engage with the awful boarding school memories in an easier but more determined manner.
The other half of my poncho I used to represent the colours of the three countries from the kitenge cloth, to the sky, to the landscape. Putting the poncho on was such a therapeutic but comforting experience as finally the boarding school time was visually evident but sandwiched and surrounded by better memories and experiences.
There was quite a bit of alpaca left after the trauma poncho and I had this need to knit myself back into the present away from those memories. I felt that using the leftover wool might bring me peace through that linkage of past and present in my knitting.
I have always felt inspired by the natural environment around me and, in the spirit of letting the colours and textures guide me, I once again picked up my needles. I love sunrises and sunsets which are indeed “…infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature…” ( – Rachel Carson, Silent Spring) and I found myself knitting a Sunrise Sunset Throw to bring me colour and comfort.
Whilst the boarding school time will forever haunt me, physically knitting the memories out of me has definitely helped me to live better despite them and with them. I continue to knit inspired by nature as it is forever changing, never ceases to bring me much joy and there is never a dull day.
Trevor shares his latest book with us.
Trevor has recently written a new book. It is called In My Own Words. Trevor describes his latest book:
“The latest work is a collage of short stories and poems. I try to vary my stories to link with popular stories I read long ago. I rewrote some of my early poetry to upgrade ideas. I find
writing useful for exploring ideas or philosophy. I will write another book or two as I have a lot of things I want to explore. I would suggest to anyone that writing is positive for helping you to relate with yourself as well as others in your life.”
Trevor has written several books. They are all available on Amazon here: In My Own Words, Knocking Down the Wall and Knocking on the Wall.
Find out more
Trevor has also shared his thoughts about writing about your own experience. His piece is called ‘Thoughts of Writing.’
Future Pathways works with the Book Whisperers. They are one of our Delivery Partners. They helps writers of all kinds to self-publish their work. We have partnered with them to help people with assisted memoir writing or to help publish books of poetry or children’s books. Discover more about their work in our Meet the Partner interview.
It can feel like a big decision to choose to get support. Here, Mary shares her experience of what it was like for her. And she tells us about why she wants others to get help too.
Hearing about Future Pathways
Mary first heard about Future Pathways from someone she knew who had also been in care. They told Mary that she should contact us for support. But Mary was not sure.
‘I kept putting it off. I thought other people needed Future Pathways more than I did. I wanted to make sure there was enough support for other people. I thought maybe the service wasn’t for me because I hadn’t been in care for as long as other people had. I felt guilty asking for help.’
After a while, Mary decided that she should access support too.
‘I’d been there. I’d been through cruelty for years. I didn’t like asking for help but sometimes you need it.’
Contacting Future Pathways
It took Mary years before she decided to phone us. Some days she would think about calling us then would choose not to. But she thought to herself:
‘Come on, the service is there for a reason. Phone them.’
When she first phoned Future Pathways, Mary felt nervous.
‘Then I told myself that there was nothing to worry about, that someone is helping me for a change. I thought about what had happened to me and why I was calling. And once I had got it in my mind that Future Pathways were there to help me, I could take that first step. After I phoned, I felt reassured.’
Getting support
Now, Mary works with her Support Coordinator to get the right support for herself.
‘I can talk about what happened to me and I can understand it. I can make some good out of this. My Support Coordinator helped me to understand what was going on. I feel entirely different now.’
Mary’s friends have seen a change in her too.
‘My friends have noticed that I seem different now too, that there has been a big change in my life. And getting support for myself means my family can have a break from worrying about me.’
Spreading the word
Mary encourages other people to get support too.
‘I knew other people in the same boat. I realised people were talking about care homes and their experiences and their feelings. And I told them that I had been in care too and been abused. I told them I have been through this too and that I understand.’
Mary would like people to take the first step and get the support that they need.
‘I try to get my friends to see that they can trust Future Pathways. I say ‘Get the help you can. You won’t know until you find out. There are genuine people ready to help you.’ I feel like I have done something for my friends now by telling them that they can get support too.’
Looking ahead
Mary thought about the difference that support has made to her life.
‘I had to do something to help myself. At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d done the right thing in trying to get support. But now, I find it easier to talk about things. I feel stronger. I feel like a different person knowing that help is there. I felt like a door had been unlocked. I have a clear mind now, a better future, enjoying the rest of my life and helping other people. I had a bad start in life but it has got a better end. I’ve got a completely new life.’
Contact us
Choosing to access support can feel like a big decision. People can feel nervous or worried. Sometimes, people are not sure if the service is right for them. If you have any questions about Future Pathways, or if you need help finding out if you can get support, contact us.
Phone us for free: 0808 164 2005 (lines open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm)
Email: registration@future-pathways.co.uk
Web: www.future-pathways.co.uk
We chat to Josie about how writing a book has helped her to express herself and connect with others.
Future Pathways supported Josie to complete and publish her book, ‘Finally Back to My Routes’.
Josie had been writing for years. Writing helped Josie to express herself through some of the most difficult times of her life. Josie never thought anything would come from her writing. This changed when her daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. Before passing away, Josie’s daughter spoke to Josie about finishing her book. Josie was determined to finish her book for her children.
Accessing her care records helped Josie stitch together the story of her past. Josie also learned that she had a sister she had never met before. Josie and her sister have now been able to meet.
“All of the story was in my records. Everything came flooding out.”
Josie would write for hours. Future Pathways supported Josie to finish and publish her book with the Book Whisperers, a service that provides writing support.
“I surprised myself. It was a brilliant experience. I could get rid of all my anxiety and stress. I would just focus on writing.”
Josie is now a published author. To celebrate, she had a book signing event with family and friends. Writing ‘Finally Back to My Routes,’ allowed Josie to be completely truthful about her past with her loved ones. Her friends and family now know her as someone who is always laughing and joking.
“That old life is gone now. I love my life now. I am in a happier place. I am more ‘me’. And my kids are so proud of me.”
Find out more
Josie’s book is available to buy on Amazon here.
You can also read a longer article about Josie’s support from Future Pathways in the Experiences section of our website.
Creative activities can help us to feel more relaxed and positive. Here, we share more about how creativity can support mental wellbeing.
Taking part in creative activities can be positive. It can help us to socialise and stop us feeling bored. But it can also really help our physical and mental health. Creative activities can:
- Help us to relax
- Reduce anxiety
- Make us feel proud
- Help us feel more positive
- Support us to cope better with stress
Art and creativity can help support mental health. And anyone can give it a go. Here are some ideas:
Draw in the sand
If you live near a beach, you could draw shapes or pictures in the sand. This can help you to relax and clear your mind
Start a picture journal
Journals or diaries do not need to just be words. You can draw pictures instead. This can help us to reflect on the day
Draw outside
Taking a notepad and pencil with you outdoors can help to relax. And it can help you to get in touch with nature or notice things round you.
Make a collage
A collage is a picture made of different pieces of paper. You can cut out pictures, colours or words. And you can arrange them any way you like.
Future Pathways has supported people in lots of different creative activities. From drawing and painting to pottery, writing and poetry. You can see more in our dedicated Features section which showcases work created by people we support.
This information and guidance has been produced by the members of Voices for a Better Future. It is to help anyone who is trying to access their records from when they were in care as a child.
Voices for a Better Future is a lived experience voice group. It brings together people who experienced abuse or neglect while they were children in the Scottish care system. Members of the group want to make a difference. They want to help improve services and support for others.
The information is available as a booklet and as an Easy Read version too.