How a biking program helped Woodside teen dad Harry Hill get his life on track

When Harry Hill found out he was going to be a dad at 14, his already shaky world collapsed, but his love for bikes got him back on track.

When Harry Hill found out he was going to be a father at 14, his whole world changed forever.

From becoming a teen dad, falling into the wrong crowd and dropping out of school all while dealing with severe depression, the 17-year-old Woodside teen has faced more challenges than most his age.

Harry Hill got his life back on track, joining the Mas TRAILS program. Picture: Tom Huntley

But it was through his love for biking that he was able to get his life back on track, joining the Mas TRAILS program.

“I really hit rock bottom as soon as I found out I was going to be a dad at 14 because there were problems with me and my ex, and problems with family and school which didn’t help,” he said.

“Due to parenting difficulties, I found myself with the wrong crowd doing a lot of bad things. “So I started FLO, which is for kids that need more help getting through school and my case manager knew that biking was one of my interests and told me about TRAILS so I gave it a go.”

Harry working on a project. Picture: Supplied

TRAILS helps young people in Adelaide aged 16 to 24 who are at risk of entering the youth justice system. Picture: Supplied

Facilitated by Mas National and run by Lighthouse Youth Projects, TRAILS helps young people in Adelaide aged 16 to 24 who are at risk of entering the youth justice system.

With the help of youth mentors and professional BMX riders, youth develop essential life skills and enhance employability through hand-on lessons like building bike trails, cooking, caring for parklands and get to hit the jumps as a reward.

For Harry TRAILS is “so much more” than just bike riding. Picture: Tom Huntley

But for Harry it was “so much more” than just bike riding. It gave him a support network to lean on.

“I was really struggling with my own problems being a new father without support, but through the TRAILS program, I really connected to the boys on a real personal level,” he said.

“One of the guys that mentored us was in the same boat as me and had kids young, wasn’t with the mother and had to share custody.

“That really helped a lot because he understood and helped me get on track for my daughter.”

Harry (centre) was able to lean on his mentors for support navigating parenthood. Picture: Supplied

Now working full-time as a domestic scheduler, Harry said the program was “one of the best things” he’s done next to becoming a dad to Novahlee, 2, who is the “peak of everything in life.”

Mas First Nations Engagement Adviser Peter Tucker said TRAILS was about empowering young people like Harry to overcome adversity and reclaim their lives.

“With a lot of the kids we get through the program, there’s drug and alcohol issues, and issues at home, so when they come here, it’s something stable to look forward to.

“We all come from very different life circumstances so we can relate to these guys to make that connection and help guide them to where they want to go.”

Originally published as How a biking program helped Woodside teen dad Harry Hill get his life on track