30

residents since 2014

The Green Man Trust supports The Salvation Army’s resident integration programme.

Our project brings a group of residents from The Salvation Army in Cardiff to the Festival to become part of our crew. The experience offers those residents who are ready to move into employment professional training and mentoring and, above all, helps them build confidence, a sense of belonging, and self-belief. Hundreds of people have come through the programme over the years, with many coming back to mentor new groups.

Green Man has shown me that the harder I work; the luckier I become

John, participant 2017 and 2018

John’s amazing story:

John had recently moved into the Ty Gobaith centre at the time of Green Man 2017 having completed his detox following a period of alcoholism. In the past, he had worked in construction and had never really considered any other occupation. He was apprehensive about attending Green Man as his only previous experiences at other festivals were spent, like many people, drinking and partying all weekend. On his first shift, John was nominated to be the team leader and although initially nervous, he took the challenge in his stride. He soon learned that there were differences in leading a team of volunteers in comparison to his experience on building sites. He was proactive in finding additional duties that needed to be carried out in order to exceed expectations. This gave John a massive boost in confidence and in his abilities.

Since 2017, John has got involved in a number of other volunteering projects at Ty Gobaith and has since moved into independent accommodation in the community. He then went on to secure a peer mentoring volunteering placement in a local detox unit, which he attends once a week, offering support to others completing detox. In addition, John found a new love in learning and has completed a number of courses around substance misuse, mental health, psychology, and even tried his hand at creative writing. John is now doing his Psychology Degree at Cardiff University.

He has gone from strength to strength, not only through recovery but also in his new love of education and volunteering. Green Man festival has been a vital part of his journey and has been invaluable to him. John returned to Green Man 2018 and was amazing at showing the new guys the ropes.