06 October, 2009
RAMP Helps Dreams Come True & More Besides!
Recovering addict Karen has been nominated for the Prince’s Trust North East Young Achiever of the Year award following her sheer determination to turn her life around. Nearly two years’ ago Karen was referred to RAMP by the Prince’s Trust to work with Olympic silver medallist and RAMP Mentor Nick Gillingham MBE (pictured).
At age 11, Karen started smoking cannabis, and then went on to amphetamines and ultimately heroin. “I got into heroin because of my circle of friends and because I had seen it. I saw people relaxing, but I wasn’t sure how it felt and the curiosity got the better of me.” Very quickly, before she knew it, Karen had a habit and started going through a rough patch, which she couldn’t understand at the time, but then realised it was because she was addicted.
“At the time, it hurt to be told I was a heroin addict. To hear the words ‘you are addicted to a Class A substance’ was really bad for me. When you’re on drugs you don’t care about your community, but it’s only afterwards you realise how much of a drain on resources you are – how much you cost the NHS or the police or whatever.”
At this stage Karen said she wanted to get clean and start building trust and a relationship with her family. She said she had so much to prove to herself and to her fiancé (also a recovering heroin addict) and to her family. When asked before starting The Prince’s Trust what she would like to take from the Team programme, Karen said wanted to feel an important member of society and not like some loser. She wished to regain her confidence and the trust of her loved ones. She wanted to prove everyone wrong for a change.
In addition to the support Karen was receiving from the Prince’s Trust, she was referred to the Respect Athlete Mentoring Programme (RAMP); a Sport England programme across the country deploying the skills of past elite athletes to work with and mentor young people who are willing and determined to change.
It sounded right up Karen’s street and after speaking to RAMP, it was arranged for Karen to meet with double Olympic medalist swimmer, Nick Gillingham MBE, who has been mentoring Karen for the past 12 months. Nick says that Karen’s goals have always been very clear. On the first day they met and within the first ten minutes she said “I want to be in full time employment, that’s my goal.”
Nick and Karen’s mission was transparent but of course presented a number of obstacles to overcome including recurring health problems. Karen always wanted to improve her health and Nick first designed a general fitness programme and progressed with Karen through the RAMP workbook. Karen went from strength to strength and decided that full time employment should be about ‘giving back’ and helping other young people overcome and steer clear of substance abuse. She herself had such a lack of support from the age of 11 years and through her teenage years and so she believes that it’s an absolute necessity to support other young people.
In June 2009 Karen had a very successful job interview with Sunderland City Council Children Services and she has been invited by the Council to complete all the necessary paperwork for employment with a start date in September 2009. Karen will be involved with a new development team working across the City of Sunderland and will commence work as a ‘Substance Abuse Education Mentor’ for the City Council.
In the meantime, Karen has been asked to write a research paper, ‘Substance Abuse Information Report’ for Sunderland City Council Children Services over a 10 week period and resources for this have been provided by The Prince’s Trust in Sunderland. This is being compiled as part of the development package to support the team that Karen will be involved with.
If it were not for The Prince’s Trust and RAMP it is perhaps correct to say that Karen would still be lost to her involvement with substance abuse and in particular heroin.
RAMP Mentor Nick Gillingam MBE:
“I have known Karen since July 2008 and I have been tremendously impressed how she has always wanted to better herself and, out of adversity due to her addiction with heroin, she has come such a long way since her first days with The Prince’s Trust in Sunderland where she successfully completed the Team programme. Karen is very much a people person; she is very approachable, open and honest and has excellent communication skills. Her future is looking bright and the next step is to start a family of her own. I believe that Karen’s future is now very positive and her employment opportunity is testament to her determination. I certainly wish her a happy future.”