“Rocky. Inconsistent.” That’s how Ross describes his life before Venture Scotland. Now, he’s discovered his love of rock climbing, made genuine friendships, and found clarity about his mission in life. This is his story of transformation through connections, challenges, the support of a network of charities, and the great outdoors.
About two years ago, I hit rock bottom. My life was rocky, inconsistent, and I was facing homelessness while struggling with addiction. Luckily, that’s when charities started saving my life – Bethany Christian Trust gave me a house, supported accommodation, that I’m still in today. But I was unsatisfied with myself; I had no horizons, and whilst other people in my life were excelling, I wasn’t doing much of anything.
There was a key moment where I just started trying more things and saying yes to opportunities. My mental health was the driving force behind this change. I went to the NHS, saying, “Please just help me in some way.” They referred me to SAMH, who suggested Venture Scotland; I had gone for a skydive in the summer at Skydive St. Andrews in Fife, and I felt alive – I was really scared, but it was amazing. I came out thinking, “Yeah, life is awesome and who knows what’s gonna happen, but I’ll keep doing stuff.”
So, when my SAMH worker told me about Venture Scotland. I was like “yes, that sounds brilliant” – and it was even better than I thought.
Like anything, you’re always going to be nervous on day one meeting a bunch of strangers, but I felt quite comfortable immediately because the staff were just…silly. That’s honestly the best way to describe them; you could have a laugh very easily. It didn’t feel strict. They’re assertive, but you actually want to listen. They’re also self-aware and know that on day one, we’re not all gonna talk to each other, we’re all just in ourselves, so they handle that well. Very quickly, we all started figuring out each other’s quirks and knew how to make each other laugh. I’d told Kat (VS’ Outreach and Support Worker in Glasgow) during the pre-programme chats that I wanted to meet people, friends to an extent, and I’d say I’ve met pals now. I’ve already had one of them over to my flat.
The programme itself was brilliant. I don’t think there was ever a moment where I was like “I don’t want to do that.” I learned a lot about myself. Turns out I’m a rock climber – I didn’t know that, but I’m really good at it. I don’t say that a lot, confidently saying “I’m really good”, but I was scaling it and genuinely really enjoying it. I definitely want to keep that in my life somehow. I’d never braved jumping into cold water before, but we did it many times with VS, and it’s really cool. I get the whole ice bath thing now – you come out, you’re alive, you’re refreshed, you can start your day. Scotland is like the best country on the planet, and getting to see it was amazing. The places we went were like your standard advert for Scotland-type stuff.
What impacted me the most wasn’t really anything to do with the structure of the programme – it was the other participants. We’d all come from some form of hurt, some form of trauma. It’s all different, but all relative, and some people are further along than others. I’d like to think I’m a bit further along because I’ve escaped a lot of my shit. I would much rather have a deep, raw conversation than something trivial, and I think that’s how we’re all so close now. The programme makes you address your own stuff that you might have been putting off.
I’ve been given a lot of clarity on my own stuff just through hearing other people or seeing their situations. It flipped my own narrative, to give me the responsibility to be like, “No, I do have a mission. I need to fix things on my end. It might not have been me entirely, but if I want it fixed, it will be me entirely that does all that.”
I already knew that I like supporting people. I’m not trying to sound like anything, I just realised I’m okay at it if it’s the right person. I need to surround myself with more people who could benefit from my particular help. I really enjoyed that throughout our course, and I want to continue.
For the next few months, I’m continuing that pursuit of happiness. I’d like to read more books and be off my phone even more. More trees, more leaves, more smiles, more hugs. That’s what I want.
It’s a good programme. It would be great if it was funded to expand. All the ideas are in the right place. This programme isn’t about the canoes or the outdoor activities – it’s about the group dynamic, the ways we work together, and how the staff support those relationships to give us opportunities to have the best conversations we possibly can. That’s what changed my life.
If you’d like to find out more about ways you can support us, check out this page or email fundraising@venturescotland.org.uk – we look forward to hearing from you!
Would you like to refer young people that you work with to our programmes? You can contact us at admin@venturescotland.org.uk – include your location and contact details to be put in touch with the Outreach and Support Worker in your area.