Monkeying around

Last Friday we took a few of the Mustard Tree's Freedom Project participants to a woodland high-ropes course called Go Ape. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we had a great time swinging around in the trees, going on ziplines, and spending time getting to know each other as a team somewhat outside of their comfot zones!

I am still floored by the guys and gals we have coming through the project - I feel incredibly lucky to work alongside such inspiring human beings, who are so full of perseverance and hope despite the journeys their lives have taken. Many of them are homeless and/or in different stages of recovery and face daily struggles on all fronts. I love getting to know them all better and walking a small section of their journey with them. Each week we see incredible changes in their lives - finding homes, jobs, getting off drugs or alcohol, rebuilding relationships, etc. Its definitely not all highs but it's a powerful thing to be part of a community that is willing to walk through the lows with each other too. I'm honoured to be along for the ride.

Wet n' Wild at Work

It's been a busy and somewhat flat-feeling month or two for Andy and me, but I figured it was time for an update! Some things that have been going on:
- my button tree is still alive (!)
- Andy's latest clients at his arena decided to do a New York-themed event, complete with taxi cabs and massive backdrop of the skyline. We both miss New York, a LOT.
- My placement for my Social Work Masters is going great - I feel really engaged with the clients and the team, and it's really challenging my ideas about care/control of mental health...how society decides to label and respond to things. Hmm. I'm learning a lot.
- We went to see the Miserable Rich the other night at a great little venue called The Deaf Institute. They're really great. Check them out.
- My part time work at The Mustard Tree is going really well - our programme (The Freedom Project - cheesy I know, I didn't name it) helps those with significant barriers to employment (ex-offenders, homeless, long term unemployed, mentally ill) gain work practice, life sills training and mentoring to help them make steps back to work. Its a really steep learning curve for me and for Jez (who really runs it now that I'm down to one day a week!), but we're excited about what's been happening in the lives of our participants.
Part of what we like to do once a month is do team-building days where we give the guys on the project experiences that will be new and fun and help improve confidence and team-building. Today, we took them for a day out in the hills for hiking and abseiling (see pics above) Everyone had such a blast - one guy who was with us came to the UK as a refugee over 5 years ago and today was his FIRST time EVER in the countryside. He was grinning all day long an took pics with his camera phone of everything; it was so much fun to watch him love nature!

The Project

Once a month, a group of creatives in Manchester that call themselves The Project host an evening at The Mustard Tree (where I work pt) for the clients that frequent us. They lay on an amazing hot meal and drinks, art and craft tables, and provide a chilled cafe-style evening of music performance from their own talent. The clients that come to these evening (called 'The Sanctuary') are mostly homeless, and a great sense of community has grown as a result of these nights. It's really col to see these placeless people find a place among The Project and each other.

Off the back of these evenings, I started a photography workshop for a few of the clients that were interested and sent them off with their own cameras to capture their world. I was inspired and intrigued by their photos and I chose a selection of them to be exhibited at a fundraising evening that was held for The Project in a venue in Manchester last week. We decided to display them as you might find in a "home". I'm hoping to get something regular going at The Mustard Tree off the back of it; it was fun watching the guys really take ownership and confidence in the whole thing. Watch this space!