Ryan Morris
Bullied for being small and expelled from school for attacking another student, Ryan 23, from Dunmurry, drank, took drugs and had his home raided by the police.
Bullied for being small and expelled from school for attacking another student, Ryan 23, from Dunmurry, drank, took drugs and had his home raided by the police.
He became addicted to anti-depressants after his uncle’s suicide and started receiving death threats after moving house and becoming a drug dealer. Only when he saw his actions were making his mother ill, did he decide to stop.
Ryan meant business. He got fit, bought a one-way ticket to Paris and signed up to the Foreign Legion. But after dislocating his knee during training, he was sent home, where he grew depressed and rarely left the house.
A friend signposted him to our Get Started programme with Outdoor Activities at Colin Glen. He loved the experience and went on to join Team, a 12-week Prince's Trust programme that enhances the employability prospects of unemployed young people.
Shortly after Team, Ryan lost another family member to suicide, and was seriously injured in a vicious gang attack that left his friend dead. Mentally broken, Ryan went to his only refuge – The Prince’s Trust Team. He says the Team programme was the only thing that kept him going.
He became one of The Trust’s most inspirational Young Ambassadors, retelling his story to young people, staff and supporters and sharing how The Prince's Trust helped heal his life. Ryan’s family are no longer ashamed of Ryan. They are proud; proud of the person he has become, and proud of who he wants to be.