Young Aussie legend and proud Indigenous man Isaiah Dawe saw a need in his community for kids like him who went through the foster care system to receive more support so they know what they can achieve. So he went out and started his own not-for-profit organisation called ID Know Yourself.
“It’s [about] making sure that young people, young Aboriginal people, who are in out of home care are set up with essentials and skills so they can not only just survive the foster care system but they can thrive in their lives,” Isaiah Dawe said
“Aboriginal young people who are in out of home care make up 40% of the whole total population. That’s why it’s critical and important that we have programs such as mine that bring that unique, empathetic, mentoring component to it so they’re not set up to fail, they’re set up to excel.”
He believes it was what he learned during his studies at TAFE NSW in the IPROWD program, a unique partnership between TAFE NSW, the NSW Police Force, Charles Sturt University and the Australian Government, that contributed.
“The program is all about enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to gain access into the NSW Police Force. I completed that, I connected with the community and it helped me develop the mindset that I could achieve anything in my life.”
Watch below to hear Isaiah Dawe’s incredible story:
