My Story – Hamish Crichton

Hamish Crichton shares his story of finding direction in his life and his experience on the semi-residential programme in Alexandra.This is an example of the services for young people programme we fund.

Hamish Crichton

In the past, I've had a little trouble finding the right direction in life. It took almost nothing to turn my life upside down and loose almost all determination and drive to keep on the right track and live a positive and happy life.

Things had gotten pretty bad for me. I was abusing myself with alcohol and was having panic and anxiety attacks, which made things worse.

My mother said there was a course that deals with young people and helps them find their way. I thought this was a good idea and wanted to see what it was about and how it could benefit me.

I met with Fiona, the Manager of Malcam Charitable Trust, and was a little worried when I heard that the course would be a residential programme based out of town for 20 weeks. But, I really needed the time away, free from adult responsibilities, to get my head straight and chill out. I decided to give it a go regardless of whether I thought I would like it.

The first day was a big shock for me,I felt like I was at school for the first time. I found that I was very out of place and felt different from all of the other students. However, I discovered that we were more alike than I thought. We were all young people that have had a hard time and are now doing the best we can to move forward, instead of staying in the same dull place that was getting us nowhere. Whether it was staying out of trouble, learning life skills, gaining confidence, treating others with respect or dealing with issues like substance abuse, we were all here to learn something.

After the first week, I knew what the course was about and how much I was going to learn and grow from being a part of the group. I decided to put all my effort into getting everything out of it that I could. I found everyone in the group was very different, had different problems, types of behaviour and personalities.

Michelle (the supervisor) was a very good leader. Watching her and seeing how she worked with students when they were misbehaving taught me more aboutmyself. I was very curious and wanted to know how you support people.

We would go away every week, usually Monday to Thursday, with a half-day activity on Friday mornings in Dunedin. We worked in a variety of different places doing lots of different jobs. We did work with the Department of Conservation and various other community groups. For me, this experience has been very fulfilling, and meeting new people has been fun and exciting.

I've been able to do work I would never have been able to do, like building an ice luge in Naseby (the only one in the southern hemisphere) and identifying the sex and species of rare types of grasshoppers.

Doing these different types of jobs has given me a better perspective about pursuing a career in the mental health area. I have learned that I have a lot of patience and commitment to work with people, helping them deal with their problems and supporting them as they move forward. I am looking at studying in Wellington next year to pursue this career.
I have learned a lot and have got to do some really cool things. One thing I really liked doing was the Kepler Track. I'd never done any big hikes before and never thought I would enjoy hiking. Completing one of the most intense walking tracks in New Zealand has been one of the best things I've done in my entire life.

Some of my good friends have told me how unbelievable it is to see how much I've changed since I started this course. The things I have done have been so cool. I've even had people tell me that they want me to take them on the Kepler Track and do the things I have done. It's awesome that people come to me and say that I am such a different person because they can see how far I have come.

The Malcam Charitable Trust course has helped me far beyond any expectations that I had. Without the lessons I learned from this course, I would be in the same place I was - spiralling into a deep dark hole.

Thank you everyone who has made it possible for me to do this course and get my life back on track. I am eternally grateful and thankful for the opportunity to learn about myself before it was too late.

Hamish Crichton