ID. Know Yourself is supporting youth in Out of Home Care

After spending his entire childhood and teenage years in the NSW foster care system, Isaiah Dawe knows the pain and stress for Indigenous kids in that system, but he also knows how to help them.

That’s why he founded ID Know Yourself in March 2019.

‘ID. Know Yourself is working to support Aboriginal children who are in, or leaving, the Out of Home Care system and those in contact with the Juvenile Justice System by establishing a sense of belonging, discovering purpose and empowering positive choices,’ Isaiah said.

‘We connect these young people to culture and community and prepare them with essential life skills for life after care. There are thousands of Indigenous children who live without their mums and dads every day. We provide a platform that creates love, hope and family.’

ID represents finding your identity, an important part of the program and one that brings the kids their feeling of belonging and purpose.

Know Yourself is the mantra: know where your mob is from, know what you can achieve, know what you’re capable of.

‘These kids have incredible gifts and each can contribute to the world, discovery is the first step,’ Isaiah said.

Since opening, the not-for-profit organisation has supported more than 60 young people with 30 currently in the program and 5 having graduated.

With 14 on the waiting list, Isaiah said they’d like to have more kids enter the program and expand beyond Sydney but are restricted due to funding and space.

‘One of the rewarding things about this job is helping people every single day,’ Isaiah said.

One recent graduate who has been happy to share his story is Jeremy.

‘Jeremy joined ID. Know Yourself at 17. He’d been first locked up at a very young age and had been in and out of jail ever since. Jeremy began to see jail as his safe place, a place where he could find mates and familiar faces’ Isaiah said.

‘When Jeremy joined the program he’d been couch surfing for a long time, was down on his luck, and his record and references left him with no reasonable employment.’

‘His aspirations were simple: he wanted a roof over his head and wanted to have a job. We arranged a safe space for him immediately and over the next couple of months we secured him full-time employment.’

‘With reliable income backing him he got his own place and has been kicking goals ever since. I always think, it’s not always the specific outcome that becomes the most significant part of our kids’ lives.’

‘It’s who they become in hope of achieving their goals, such as the confidence they build, the courage, strength, discipline, respect, and care for others within our IDKY family or others within their community. These attributes they unlock and discover along the way is what makes me most proud.’

Isaiah wants to expand the program and reach as many ‘Jeremys’ as possible by establishing ID. Know Yourself in every state and territory of Australia.

One option is to use virtual mentoring, building on the lessons and technologies inherited through lockdown.

‘Virtual mentoring enables us to extend our reach to kids from disparate areas,’ he said.

‘At the end of the day nothing beats in-person interaction and the provision of a safe space for kids in out of home care. Sometimes they need an escape and you can’t provide that through a laptop.’

‘The solution is a hybrid mentoring system, but we’ll need to ensure we have boots on the ground to reach everyone in the program. For us, it’s all about quality rather than quantity of service and support we provide to our kids.’

And it’s not just the kids who are and will benefit from this program.

‘You tend to go into this role to make a difference to others. But far too often what happens is the people you support, make a huge difference to your own life,’ Isaiah said.

‘You go to teach and you learn. You go to inspire and you become inspired. You receive a life lesson and you become an example. Far too often, you actually receive more and be more when you give more.’