SCOTT MENZIES, A fourth-year social work and psychology student, has turned both his personal pain and his education into something powerful.
His story begins in the country. He grew up in a blue-collar family and followed his father into the trades, a lifestyle that unfortunately, for certain types of trades, brings with it a culture of drinking and substance abuse. This culture, coupled with family hurt early in life, Menzies says, “left me with a bit of a God-shaped hole in my heart, without really knowing it, and that led me down a road of alcohol and drugs.”
By the grace of God, with determination and support, Menzies was able to heal. After getting sober in March 2018, he was able to look back on his experience and see the hurt that so many other men in the trades were experiencing, and discover a desire to help others find the wellness that he had.
His experience working in construction and dealing with addiction first hand showed him that the industry is a “double-edged sword.” Workers in particular trades are strongly encouraged to travel and work all over the country, which tears them away from their families and support systems. They miss important events, the birth of children, graduations and anniversaries, and because of guilt, stress and lack of support, many workers turn to substances to cope.
“[It] left me with a God-shaped hole in my heart, without really knowing it, and that led me down a road of alcohol and drugs.”
When Menzies took a step back and looked at this trend after getting sober, he observed that many men were seriously struggling with addiction, and that they had little to no support for their recovery and mental health.
The last part of the 12-Step Program, a recovery program for those who struggle with addiction, is that, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Menzies describes the choice that those who recover face: having been led out of a dark forest and having reached recovery, they can step into the light—or choose to go back in and help others get out.
Menzies chooses to go back in and help others find the recovery and wellness that he has.
He operates a not-for-profit addiction and mental health support organization, Hard Hats, which came out of a college project he worked on after getting sober. It works to destigmatize mental illness in an industry where the general culture is one of “you’re fine,” where men are not encouraged to be vulnerable, show their emotions or be honest when they need help. The organization provides free, confidential mental health and addictions support through a toll-free number that is available across Canada.
By God’s grace, Menzies’ college project was picked up by the governance board, which works in collaboration with the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), both of which were able to promote Hard Hats and raise awareness for the work it was already doing, far beyond what Menzies would have been able to do alone.
“It went from doing it on my own, and helping individuals, to being almost Ontario wide,” Menzies says. Now, because of an article in The Globe and Mail, awareness for the lack of mental health support for trades workers and the availability of support through Hard Hats is nation-wide.
“It went from doing it on my own, and helping individuals, to being almost Ontario wide.”
Through his lived experience and his education, Menzies has been able to help others heal. He has seen God providentially use the pain that he lived through and the education he has received to transform the lives of numerous trades workers across Canada. He has been able to counsel individuals, be a strong support and give people the space to be honest about their wellbeing that otherwise does not exist in the industry.
When asked what his vision is for the future of Hard Hats, and what he hopes to accomplish with it, he says, “That’s a question you have to ask God.” He tries not to force the narrative, but let God lead him and his organization to accomplish what God has already planned. He hopes to gain his master’s degree after he graduates from Redeemer, in order to further his ministry and community work.
And as always, in faith, he leaves the results up to God.