Cumbernauld ex-con turns life around and escapes ‘young team’ culture

Adam Raja grew up in Cumbernauld and was exposed to drugs and gang life from the age of 13.

The 32-year-old remembers money being tight for him and his single mum so selling drugs for extra cash became tempting.

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He said substance abuse was normalised within his community and felt unable to get out of the vicious cycle.

Adam then found himself in Polmont prison after being caught with class A drugs at the age of 18.

He was locked up for a year and soon realised he was desperate to change his life path.

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Speaking to the Glasgow Times, Adam said: “I got involved in crime really young and started hanging out with the young team and gangs.

“I know there are bad people in the world, but myself and the people I grew up with weren’t trying to hurt others, we just wanted to improve our own lives.

“I was given cannabis by a friend's dad and then more drugs from my peers' big brothers to sell, it felt like a good way to earn their respect and praise.

“You soon realise it isn’t glamorous or like TV shows, it can be scary, and you owe people money.

“It came to the point I expected to get caught, I had that feeling my luck was going to run out.”

Credit: Berghaus (Image: Berghaus)

He added: “Jail was not a nice experience, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified on the bus there.

“The scariest thing was once I was in jail I saw how quickly it became normal for people.

“They would just resign themselves to the situation and become institutionalised, you could actually see the motivation drain out of some of the guys who were still kids at that point.

“That was difficult and scared me, I was really motivated to move in the other direction.”

Credit: Berghaus (Image: Berghaus)

Adam went to jail in 2009 after being caught with cocaine and an intent to sell it.

He was sentenced to three years in jail but was released after one year with a tag for good behaviour.

He knew he wanted more from life but was now faced with even less opportunities as his criminal record made it very hard to get a job.

Credit: Berghaus (Image: Berghaus)

Soon he felt old influences “tug” at him but knew he had to make a change to break free and made a “last ditch effort” to change his life.

He applied for higher education and was accepted to study business at Glasgow Caledonian University in 2011.

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Adam was involved in gang life (Image: Sourced)

He said: “For me I was almost hoping I would get caught and I would go to jail just for it to be taken out of my hands and step away from it for a while.

“I have a nice life now so I can’t imagine thinking jail would be a respite anymore, it was sad.

“When I got released from prison, I had less opportunities than I did when I went in, it was a very difficult time.

“There is really nothing preventing you from just going back in, I would love to see more support and help for offenders so they can change their path.

“I just wasn’t getting anywhere at all so I decided to apply for university in a last-ditch effort to change my life, luckily, I had some Highers to fall back on.

“Through the university I also got my first job which was great, I had been applying for everything from McDonald's to cleaning jobs but couldn’t get anything at all.

“During my second year of studying I got offered the chance to study abroad in France, this really let me cut off my Cumbernauld connections, it felt like a real turning point.”

After graduating Adam decided to devote his life to exploring the outdoors and got a job working with a climate charity.

He was amazed to discover life outside of Cumbernauld and had no idea Scotland had huge mountains until getting out of jail.

Adam said: “As soon as I could afford a car, I went to Glencoe to see if these mountains were real. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the landscapes and I just knew I wanted to climb them.

“I just really want to live a decent life and try to contribute something positive to society rather than a negative legacy.

“My mum said she is really proud of me now, and my gran, it feels amazing to hear them say that because I struggle to say it myself.

“I recently appeared in a short film about my experience as part of the Berghaus Ascension Series. It was really great and therapeutic for me, and I hope it helps others.

“If I could open the door for a few people that would be incredible, I want to welcome other people into the outdoors and show them how life changing it is.”