A broader perspective.

At Pathway, we have dozens of dedicated volunteers committed to assisting us in our endeavours as we strive to help people make a fresh start. One of those is Alex Dalzell, who has been involved in our writers’ group for about three years.

It was with a sense of trepidation Alex Dalzell first walked through the doors of Pathway’s writers’ group. Mere minutes later, that feeling had vanished.

In her own words, Alex says she isn’t the type you would associate with a prison setting – “white and privileged” is how she described herself when she spoke to Pathway staff about her experiences as a mentor recently. But that did not stop her wanting to be part of something bigger than herself.

“I remember the first night we took the writing class that I was part of...I met some wonderful people there and it was very welcoming,” she recalls.

“We had a cup of tea and some biscuits and did a bit of a warm up. We decided we were going to be writing about fears, so we had a whiteboard and wrote stuff down around fears of lots of things, some of which was a little confronting. Fear of snakes, spiders, flying and then somebody said fear of the jug cord. Fear of white people, fear of rich people, fear of police. It went down a path I’d never experienced before but felt very privileged to be in that space.”

After hearing stories Tū Ora wrote, Alex felt her perceptions shift.

I changed my view on people who are behind the wire,” Alex says.

“I had assumptions from an early age that there was not a level of intelligence able to articulate deep thinking, a whole pile of things, because that’s the story I’ve been fed for a long time. It shifted significantly and I felt very privileged. It was an honour to be part of that.” The writers’ group is essentially where Tū Ora can share their life experiences and emotions through the written word in a supportive, non-judgemental setting. It’s not just about writing – there’s the positive relationships being forged between Tū Ora and our mentors through social engagement, a key part of the reintegration process.

“In the writing class, it feels non- judgemental. They don’t need to worry about what they’re saying meaning something different. We’re just there to write stories, have conversations.” Alex says the men were always truly grateful for her and the other volunteers that made the effort to venture into the prison for the benefit of others. She doesn’t consider herself special in any way or hold any relevant qualifications or experience. She just wanted to do her bit to support some of society’s most vulnerable and marginalised.

“I’m not a social worker. In any other part of my life, I’m not equipped to do anything else but just turn up and write stories with these people who allow me to come into the space. I get more out of it than I put in.”

While there was the chance to share stories and a few laughs, Alex was well aware of the difficulties facing the men she mentors. “I’m always mindful of the seriousness of the situation. I do joke around, but I know this process has to be gone through. The privilege of being able to go through that and not make light of it is really important because anything that could happen reflects on this organisation and also reflects on the guys.

“I’m very fortunate and I’m very grateful to be part of this.”