Written by Danniel Fankhauser – MTC Australia jobactive customer
It has been quite a bumpy road for me prior to COVID, and the global pandemic had quite an impact on the population at large. This story is from a little corner, hidden away in an anonymous leafy suburb of Sydney.
Being a victim of many things, the story could have played out in a typical fashion. Opportunities, far and few between would seldom be capitalised upon. Self-belief being a missing key ingredient, the river of life had other plans for my canoe of despair.
As I reached out for help, Elena, my Work Coach, extended her arm upon sight. I reached out and met open arms of support. Synchronicity, or fate, brought me to the shores of MTC and this wasn’t another island that one would wash shore, never to find one’s way back to civilisation. It was the Newfoundland of opportunity, beckoning to wayfarers with a siren’s song of hope.
At the base camp was a new tribe of mentors, with Patrick from a group of likeminded individuals (high five mate) to provide me with the requisite survival skills, Jeanie, my Recruitment Coach, to point me in the right direction, and Elena to be the Swiss army knife that helps in every situation; I set off with a rejuvenated sense of urgency to start writing my own story – and I trekked out into the concrete jungle. Taking responsibility for each new step as I ventured into new territory, the team at MTC has always been close by when I felt lost or afraid, a gentle nudge and pat on the back would reorient me, and onwards I would go.
Thank you for the past few years of support. I’ve changed university courses twice and I’m now studying pharmacy at Sydney University. I’ve moved out from my relative’s unit to a place of my own, and I’ve said goodbye to a group of friends with substance abuse issues – never to look back. Luckiest of all, I’m employed by an amazing company, 5B Australia, a solar energy equipment supplier, that has a very engaging work environment and wishes to support me along my journey.
Before this gets too long-winded, or obscure, I wanted to distil the essence of my message into a couple more sentences.
Thank you for what you do. Supporting people in need of help is a worthwhile pursuit in life, and with an organisation like yours being a part of a metaphorical tide, you help lift all boats and make an impact that magnifies the good in this world.