An adventure started when a man had the courage to tell his story.
This man is Robert Mitchell.
Robert grew up as a happy little boy in Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town. His trouble started after his mother got remarried and his stepfather physically abused him. At the time, he felt like his only way out was to stay away from home. In the streets, he did what his friends did and at the tender age of 13, he started abusing alcohol. Soon after, he tried ‘tik’ for the first time. Tik turned to dagga, heroin and mandrax. He left school after grade 9. With no income or aspirations, he lived day-by-day and sustained his habit by stealing from his own home and later he was banned from the house.
After many nights of hunger and loneliness, while sleeping on the street, he had to take a step back and view his life from a distance. He felt a longing for a different life when he saw the devastation that surrounded him. Enough was enough, so he stood up and went home to ask his mother for help.
Robert did his rehabilitation programme through an organisation called Victory Outreach International. He was never the same after finding his spirituality through this organisation. He was laying one brick at a time to rebuild his life. It was not without relapse, but he made it through. He got a job, built networks and saw business opportunities.
Creating furniture from pallets was especially appealing because Robert likes to work with his hands and there is a notable profit margin in the business. He taught himself to create different products. He also started his own handyman business that is now blooming, but he experiences the never-ending need to pursue his true passion – to teach. He wants to give back by teaching skills that will give people confidence and assist them to become self-sustainable.
And it is here that Robert entered the occupational therapy space. After listening to his story and his needs, we put together a shared plan to give him a platform to transfer his skills. A date was set for his first eight-week pallet furniture workshop and the ten available spaces quickly filled up.
Our aspiring teacher got to work preparing his teaching material and the day of the first class quickly arrived. Since he always seemed confident, I did not expect to see this extremely nervous human being enter the front door. This opportunity was truly important to him. For him, it was meaning and purpose.
When Robert started the class, I got the chance to witness growth from self-doubt all the way to a pure, joyful expression of meaning. All happening through the occupation of teaching. Robert was alive!
The pupils were very eager to learn, and the activity-based course allowed for occupational therapy assessment and on-the-spot adaptations to be made to ensure enablement and full participation.
For Robert, the highlight of the course was when he saw that the students didn’t need him anymore. They were becoming independent. It showed him that he had successfully transferred his knowledge and skill.
Two of the students got their first orders just after the classes ended. They made their first profit. Some of them want to start their own businesses. Their response to the class was that they gained more than a skill – they had become part of a community, a family.
As for Robert, he wants to continue pursuing teaching:
“I feel complete, I feel happy, you know, it is not training, it is not a job to me. It doesn’t feel like a regular job to me. It feels like something I should be doing.”
It was a humbling experience to see the magic of occupation happening before my eyes. And I look forward to many more adventures with Robert and other aspiring teachers.
Click here to learn more about National District Hospital Occupational Therapy.
Story by: Corné Thomas, Occupational Therapist, National District Hospital, Bloemfontein
Last Updated on 26 October 2023 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs