Marie-Anne, who we work with, wrote this article for us about her recovery
journey, and how we are helping her to get a University Degree in Criminology.
My name is Marie-Anne. I first became involved with Future Pathways to help find my care records and piece my life together. I don’t think I was fully prepared for the rollercoaster that would be presented with once I received my records and realised that I was definitely in fact a survivor of multiple childhood traumas.
I became homeless for quite a number of years and didn’t address the trauma until I reached my late 20s. By then, I had enduring mental health difficulties.
That being said, I don’t regret knowing what had happened to me in early childhood and teenage
years. It did take more than a decade though to take back my life and own my own journey.
I started with an amazing mental health charity that helped me to slowly regain my self-esteem.
I then found an organisation called Venture Scotland, where I took part in a personal
self-development outdoor adventure programme. That took nearly two years.
Eventually, I became involved with Future Pathways. I may be biased, but they became my
absolute heroes. I don’t think I would have had the chance to reach my full potential through
learning, education, and self-discovery, if it wasn’t for the all the support and encouragement from my coordinator Suzie and from Future Pathways as a whole.
My dream was to study Criminology and Criminal Justice, as these have been my absolute passion for as long as I can remember.
With experiencing abuse and trauma in my past, I also wanted to reclaim my life and regain some form of empowerment.
So, I started a BA (Hons) Degree in Criminology with The Open University in Scotland. So far, I
have completed four years and graduated with a Diploma of Higher Education in Criminology. I
still have some way to go though: I have two more years left before I complete my honours
degree.
This journey I have been on has been emotional, enlightening, difficult, brave and motivational.
I really don’t know where I would be in terms of my self-worth and growth without the massive
contribution from Future Pathways.
Ashley created these images especially for our December newsletter.
She said: “I’ve loved art ever since I was a child, but after leaving school I never really picked up a pencil until lockdown. Then I got into painting at home, with the help and support of Future Pathways. I recently started an online art course. I am learning so much in this journey, namely patience. I am the type who likes it done as quick as possible, but I know a realistic picture isn’t going to take less than 20 or 30 hours. I made these three art pieces over 5 days (no mean feat).”
Pat shares his photographs with us as part of our Winter newsletter.
Pat says: “Two pics at Fort William, Scotland, and one of my dog Chong with Hector the turtle.”
Yvonne shares her pottery creations with us.
“I recently participated in my first pottery course. I found it to be very therapeutic and being able to express my creativity via pottery has proven, as a beginner, that I have a natural flare for it. I thought I would share my work with you. Here are pictures of my creations, one of which is a Future Pathways mug.”
Lauchlan shares his paintings of the people and places of Glasgow.
‘Bellgrove street in the east end of Glasgow where I used to hang around as a teenager.’
‘Picture of the band Scheme. The tree has the Glasgow coat of arms. In the background is some of Glasgow landmarks – Glasgow cross, the Barras, the Royal conservatory.’
‘Denny Oliver – lead singer and songwriter of the Glasgow band called Scheme. The painting is in the Scheme of Easterhouse. Denny has also passed away. Mr Oliver wrote and sang songs that inspired the youth and his songs often touched on political issues of the day. Mr Oliver also worked voluntarily teaching guitar and piano to the homeless.’
‘My friend Robert Fullerton sadly now passed away.’
Grace-Anne shares her wonderful paintings with us. She says:
“It’s never too late to learn new things. Learn to appreciate yourself and all you’ve overcame through expression. Whether that be art, writing, dance or song. Be unashamedly you because the world is a much nicer place when you learn to be authentically you. That’s your purpose…to live.”
Lauchlan, who is registered with us, shares these two reflective poems.
Talking to myself
Write go on write I’m talking to my pen
Oh what a clever writer to write when I say when.
The crimson skies the rushing waves I’m thinking in my head
Oh what a clever thinker to think what I just said.
It is really such a lovely life it’s me who’s telling you
I know it’s me who’s talking but to whom am I talking to.
I’m really just a splendid chap rich in thought and health
but guess what I discovered I am talking to myself.
Thoughts
A thought a thought it’s just a thought my mind will think again to think of all the thoughts
I’ve had would cast me out in shame.
I thought I was a rock star my mind was running wild selfish thought’s all for myself sometimes
I’m like a child.
I thought I was a Christian to the world I’d be so good but it’s to the devil my soul I gave and
the words I speak are rude.
I thought I was a politician I’d save the world’s cries but I’m not different from the rest
I’m a liar in disguise.
I’ve thought in many ways of folk
But it’s just a shot in the dark life is good and bad at times.
What do you think well there’s a thought.
Chris, who works with us, has been drawing for many years, using charcoal and, more recently, coloured pencil. Some of his work was recently shown in an exhibition in Glasgow. He told us about the exhibition, and about another way that he sometimes shares his work with others…
Chris has been working with Future Pathways for several years. He has been keen on drawing for as long as he can remember, and it has developed over the years. Chris told us:
“I used to mostly draw with a charcoal pencil – so that’s in black and white. But during lockdown I started coming out of my comfort zone a bit, and started doing colour drawings with graphite pencils. My friends often told me that they like them when I shared them on Facebook, and that the colour drawings cheered them up.”
Chris mentioned all of this to his Support Coordinator, and this started a discussion which ended up with them arranging an exhibition of Chris’s work in the Woodlands Community Meeting Room in Glasgow.
Above: Chris’s with his artwork on display at the Woodlands Community Meeting Room in Glasgow
Many of Chris’s drawings are of people, but they’re not all real people. Chris says: “I draw lots of stuff. I do things from TV shows or movie characters, or I’ll do cartoon characters or I’ll do superheroes. Things along those lines.”
But not all of Chris’s work is of made-up characters: “I sometimes draw bands of musicians and things like that.” And Chris uses this as a chance to share his work in a really lovely way.
“I go along to shows – plays or concerts – and I’ll pick a member of the band or the cast. Obviously I can’t draw them all, but I’ll draw someone. And then after the show, I’ll go to the stage door and I’ll present them with the drawing. Just as a little gift for them. People almost always ask if they are allowed to keep it! And I say, ‘Of course, that’s what I’ve done it for, it’s for you to take away.’ And they’re delighted. People giving me hugs and sometimes they’re nearly crying. It’s just very nice to see someone happy with something that I’ve done for them, and to see how much it means to them.”
Above: Chris’s work in the Woodlands Community Meeting Room in Glasgow
Did you know that you do not need to live in Scotland to access Future Pathways’ support? Ian, who registered with Future Pathways in 2019, was sent to Australia as a child migrant. He has lived there since he was around 7 years old. Ian is also supported by Tuart Place, a West Australian support service for adults who were in any type of out-of-home care when they were children, including former child migrants.
Here, Ian shares his talent for model making.
Ian started making model windmills when he retired about 12 years ago. Since then, he has made around 2,500 of them! Ian explains, “It’s just something that I taught myself to do because I knew all about them after working in the bush and on farms”.
Ian was of the generations that depended on windmills more than most because he grew up in rural, remote areas. Years ago in Australia, these windmills were everywhere, even in the suburbs. It was the main way for many people to draw water up to the surface.
Talking about making his windmills, Ian shares:
“I get a lot of pleasure out of it. I make the frame one day then the next day do the spindle at the top. It takes me about 10 hours to make one, whatever the size. The bigger ones are easier to make because you can get your hand in. My design is good too because I put extra things in, like chairs on each landing. Some of the windmills are quite small, others are as tall as a person. When it comes to the end of making one, I’m so happy.”
Ian, who recently turned 80 but says he feels about 40, makes windmills in all different colours. He has used football colours, Irish colours, aboriginal colours (red, black and yellow), and others are silver, like windmills in the bush. Ian made one in yellow and blue which was auctioned off to raise money for Ukraine. Another he made as tall as a door which raised $1500 for kids. He even presented one to a member of the Australian parliament who came to Tuart Place and took it back to Canberra with them.
Ian’s talents extend to other models too:
“I’ve also made a model of Sydney Harbour Bridge about 3 meters long, and a beautiful dolls house on wheels. I even made the furniture to go into it and battery-operated lights. That one got raffled at Tuart Place. Everyone who sees my models, they fall in love with them.”
And now Ian’s windmills have even travelled half-way around the world to Scotland after he very kindly made one for Future Pathways, and we love it! As Ian put it, “it’s a little bit of Ian and a little bit of Australia, in the middle of Scotland.”
Growing stronger together
Tuart Place is a support service for adults in Western Australia who were in any kind of out-of-home care when they were children. Funded by the state government, it is based in the city of Freemantle, just south of Perth. Its motto is ‘growing stronger together’, and it provides a lot of different services, including counselling, social activities, informal support groups, training courses and records tracing
www.tuartplace.org
Alex has been working with us for about a year. We helped him to write a book – and he’s already planning the next one.
Alex is in his early 70s, and had never written a book before. However, when the idea came up during a call with his Support Coordinator, he was interested. Alex says, “I knew I had enough stuff to say, but I just wasn’t sure I was ready at that time.”
Alex decided to go for it, and the book was recently printed. It’s called ‘Priests Don’t Dae That’. It’s about Alex’s life, mainly his childhood in the 1960s. He wrote it with the help of Lea Taylor from the Book Whisperers. The Book Whisperers help people to write books.
The writing and editing process worked well. Alex explains: “I’d put pen to paper, and then I would meet up with Lea and give her my pages. She would then put it all together for me. And she designed the book cover for me too.”
It took Alex just a month or two to write the book: “Once I started writing, it came quite easily.”
Lea really enjoyed the process too. She told us “It was a joy working with Alex on so many fronts.” Lea told us how dedicated Alex was to writing his book. She said that “best of all was witnessing such a wonderful change in him as the work and his confidence progressed.
His story was fascinating, and I’m delighted to have helped Alex produce this powerful piece of work.”
The people at the Book Whisperers believe that just the process of writing a book can make you feel better about things, and that was true for Alex: “It was a great experience. I wish that I got it all out sooner, honestly, but I’m glad I have done it now, and I’m now more level-headed. I’m very thankful to Future Pathways and to the Book Whisperers.”
And what’s next for Alex? “I might write another couple!”