I am a social worker from small town Manitoba who has always wanted to work within the criminal justice system. But I thought it was not the best fit for my personality and style of interacting with people. Child welfare and health care have been where I have landed professionally.

I have a passion for travel and over the years have toured and volunteered in many countries, sometimes for months at a time. During one of my first trips to Nepal, we visited a prison as part of our volunteer orientation and met with two foreigner inmates. Prison conditions were very primitive, and they were far from home with no support. I started visiting these two inmates often in the hopes of brightening their day and offering friendship and support. A strong sense of purpose developed from this experience, a drive to bring “karuna” (a Sanskrit word for compassion) to foreigners imprisoned abroad. Also, to write about these experiences in hopes of spreading understanding and compassion towards these now friends of mine, as well as others who have made mistakes in life.

So it was a natural fit when I was invited to the Next Step peer group support meeting by Kim, the group’s Coordinator who I volunteer with at another organization. Everyone was so welcoming, the discussion so interesting and inspiring that I knew the Next Step Group was for me from the first meeting.

I continue to be impressed by the steps these men are taking to better their lives and by the accomplishments achieved. The support they give to each other, and the support shared by the Group as a whole, is something special and which I feel really lucky to be a part of.

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Crystal Moshenko