it’s Jay

it’s Jay…& this champion is a ‘king amongst men’! Jay has been one of the major players in providing residents of Shared Residential Facilities (SRF) within our community a sense of belonging & has gifted the SRF residents many opportunities to enjoy all that our community has to offer. 

Having had the absolute pleasure of getting to know Jay & having the privilege to hang with him & the SRF residents (friends) on group outings & at their homes, I can say this… Jay is an exceptional human that is the strongest of advocates for inclusion & acceptance for all people in our community. 

To get a better understanding of what makes Jay tick let’s go back… Jay remembers, “as a youngster I enjoyed primary school but hated high school, it just wasn’t my thing… I’m just not academically inclined so to speak. I had to repeat year 10 & it was the best thing that could of happened to me. I met mates & that’s when i really got into skateboarding. It pretty much became my life from then on. I attended year 12 but I didn’t end up passing anything.” Jay remembers walking out on exams just to go skating. 

Asking Jay of what drew him into the culture of skating, he explains, “it’s definitely an expressive form of individuality but there’s also a lot of camaraderie with mates. Along with the skating culture, Jay also got into graffiti. Jay explains…”looking back I did a lot of things I probably shouldn’t of, but it was all that rage against the machine type vibe.” 

Jay can look back now & laugh “it kind of messed me up in terms of getting a job, my only plan was to leave school & skate… & that lasted for 3 years, before I blew out a knee & couldn’t get a job.”

Being heavily in the skating & graffiti scene also gave Jay a huge love for art.

So how did Jay go from being the hardcore skate & graffiti dude to being one of the major reasons some of the most vulnerable people in our community have thrived? 

Jay remembers… “Through a friend I was asked if I’d like to apply for the position of a Support Officer within the Shared Residential Facility arm of the the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. I didn’t even know what the position was about when I showed up for the interview & even during the interview they were saying stuff & I’m like what am I getting myself into… but it was a great opportunity.

I had studied counselling in areas of alcohol & drugs, done telephone counselling, teen challenge & worked on schoolies, so I had the desire to help people in some capacity & it sounded like a really good fit. But working in the mental health space…scared the crap out of me at first, because of the unknown. There are so many unknowns, having studied it, it took away some of the stigma, but until you actually work in the space you don’t truely know. I think what helped, was I was taking the time to get to know people & you realise, you’re the same as me - maybe your chemistry is a little out here or there but we are all the same.” 

Another challenge that Jay addressed was overcoming social isolation with the SRF residents. Jay adds. “we managed to make a real difference in this space. We went about just chatting & getting to know people & then we listened to what they wanted to do & what they would enjoy. We’ve had the good fortune of getting the SRF crew out & about & have made a real difference in their lives.

It’s very easy for someone living in a Shared Residential Facility to just hang out at home, it can be all too hard to motivate yourself to get out of bed somedays.”

Jay’s approach is perfect… he lets us know… “ for me it’s about treating everyone with respect, because some people just don’t get listened to. A lot of health services you go to will not give you the time because their workload is just so full-on. Fortunately we could give people the time they needed.”

Asking Jay what his hope is for all the residents of all the Shared Residential Facilities, he lets us know, “I hope they live the life that they want to live. Society is a lot more aware of mental illness, which is great, but tolerance is still not there with a lot of people. I want people to treat all with respect & know that they may be having a shitty day today but the next day they maybe having a great day… & you don’t have to be bi-polar to have those ups & downs. It would just be nice to have everyone just treat everyone nicely.” 

Jay having had 6 & a half years in the role as a SRF Support Worker with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, credits the awesome team he has worked with to create the positive change to so many in our community, Jay adds, “I was the only male in a team of amazing women. We have been such a caring & sharing sort of group, so there’s not a lot we can’t say to one another. I know some things I shouldn’t know & they know some things they probably don’t want to know about me.” 

Asking Jay to share a story with us, he goes straight to this… “One example was a SRF resident that lives with schizophrenia & being able to take the time with them has allowed us to see when they are getting unwell, which allows us to advocate on their behalf & pass that info onto the manager of the SRF. You just couldn’t do that unless you formed those relationships. We’ve seen people that have not wanted to get out of bed. We had one lady that attended art group regularly, but previously was bed bound for weeks on-end & just through kindness & a listening ear & softly saying you can actually do this got her engaged in something she loves. It’s giving someone the confidence that they can actually do something… it’s huge!!”

A major highlight since the beginning of itsPortAdelaide was getting invited by Jay to share the love of photography with my new friends of the SRF’s… Very blessed mate, thank you Jay!!

Jay remembers “The photo exhibition was a highlight of my time with the SRF crew. How often does anyone get the opportunity to put on an exhibition! Through itsPortAdelaide & the good people of Red Lime Shack we were able to offer that opportunity & the opening night is still a huge highlight of working with the SRF family.

We had guys with smiles right across their faces & it wasn’t because there was alcohol being served… that may have had a little to do with it! That feeling of someone focussing on them & giving them recognition for doing a good job & having people like what they had produced was amazing. People are still talking about that night & to have City of PAE Council Officials & Elected Members turn up was amazing.”

The landscape has changed & although Jay is no longer working directly with the SRF crew he adds, “Port Adelaide’s the place I may want to settle down in one day. I definitely want to start my own business around this area because of the community… this community is phenomenal! There will always be something that will drag me back to the Port, whether it’s coming down to Red Lime Shack for a coffee or whether it’s getting a tat done with Kelly Black Diamond Tattoo Port Adelaide or dropping into see the crew @the spot barbers. The Port Adelaide Community has definitely got in my blood since I’ve been down here.” 

You’ve got to check out Jay’s art on instagram @strukture_design he’s got unreal skills!!!

Asking Jay what will he be up to next, with a grin he adds… “Watch this space.”