A new perspective.

As Pathway's Chief Financial Officer, Randal works on the business side of the organisation. But over the past year, he has begun volunteering in the Navigate Initiative (NI) unit and discovered that stepping behind the wire transforms your understanding completely.

Randal's motivation was straightforward. "I work a Pathway so I know what goes on, particularly on the business side in the office, but I wanted to understand a little bit more about the other side, the charitable side," he explains. He began attending art workshops behind the wire and has since become a regular presence in the screen printing and carving workshops.

Getting started was challenging. "At first, people were a little bit wary of a new person," Randal recalls. But by working alongside them, connection grew. "In the course of a few weeks, with me just doing the same things they were doing, there was a little bit of common ground, and we could just talk about whatever was going on."

What struck Randal most was the men's talent. "I'm not an artistic person at all. So what surprised me is how talented so many of them are," he says. "It's amazing seeing people who aren't necessarily academic, but clearly are really talented artistically."

A highlight for Randal has been learning how to carve alongside some of the men in the NI unit. One of our Tu Ora helped him start a carving project, and as he worked on it, different men contributed. "Three of the guys have had some input into helping me do my little bird carving. A couple got me started, and then one of the other guys actually helped me with the background of the image."

Even after working for Pathway for 14 years, volunteering has transformed Randal's understanding of reintegration. "The biggest thing that I've learned is that prison just isn’t an environment where you can think about the future. The men always have to have their guards up, and don’t really know when they’re getting out until a matter of weeks beforehand. They're not thinking ahead to the community because it's sort of overwhelming and irrelevant," he explains. "I guess I’ve just learned a lot about the reality of prison."

For those who may be interested in volunteering but are hesitant, Randal points out. "I was super nervous about how to relate to the men, but really, the only skill you need is a degree of friendliness. Once you get to meet the guys, it's just like any other group you might be involved in."

"It's been a massive education for me," Randal concludes. "There's no substitute for just literally going in to see and understand. It gives you a much more complete picture of the guys and the background they've come from, but also of what being in prison's like and then what getting out of prison is going to look like."