Success story: Brian, adult learner

“It took a lot of humility to basically go ok, well suck it up, harden up, stop being proud and just go and do it – do the program.”

Born and raised in Sydney, Brian’s love for Tasmania has extended beyond its natural beauty – Tasmania is where he received the support he needed to address his literacy challenge.

Brian has always been aware of his learning difficulties and received remedial assistance throughout school. However, it wasn’t until he began a Certificate course in Youth Work that the reality of his situation hit home. Being unable to competently read and write, Brian was asked to leave the course and his internship, shattering his dreams of helping others.

His ‘light bulb’ moment then came in a Centrelink office where he realised he couldn’t complete the necessary forms and wasn’t sure what he was being asked to sign.

Brian knew that the time had come to swallow his pride and ask for help.

So, through the support and guidance of Mission Australia and his close circle of friends, Brian found a new lease of life in a classroom setting. As well as continuing to improve his reading and writing skills, Brian has also developed a new level of confidence that he didn’t have before. Battling every day feeling resentful, or that he was missing out on something special that other people had, is now a thing of the past.

“I actually feel like I’ve achieved a big milestone in my life.”

Brian is now in the final stages of completing a Certificate course in Children’s Services. Addressing his reading, writing and numeracy challenges has opened a new world of possibilities and opportunities, empowering him to see life in a whole new way.

“I’m able to raise my head and walk around and go ‘yeah I can do this now’, I can do things that I never thought possible. I’m living life the way that I never thought possible.”