Darius

My name is Darius and I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba. I’d like to share my story about my time at The Link and Velotecha and how the experience helped pave the path for my future.

I had been a participant at The Link and familiar with their programs for some time, but I first discovered the bike lab in October 2021, when Riley Woodcock came to The WRENCH and offered me an opportunity to work at Velotecha, one of The Link’s social enterprises.

Once I started working I was surprised at how quickly I was able to adapt to being in a position where I needed to demonstrate good leadership skills. That surprised me a lot.

It didn’t take long for me to become Crew Lead and take on more responsibilities in my role.

My favourite thing about working at the lab was working with bikes, but I also loved being able to help out as much as I did, I felt valued.

If there was one word to describe my experience at Velotecha it would be “eventful”. There were a lot of opportunities during my time there to learn and develop skills, like teamwork.

The Link offers youth a good place to start, they have programs where you can build a work ethic and learn to do your best.

Riley encouraged me to join his team and without him, I might not be where I am today. I saved my earnings and enrolled full-time at the University of Manitoba where I started my first year as a university student this past September.