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I was an unemployed actor/writer when Centrelink summoned me to work for my dole money.  I ended up at the Visy Care Centre in Dandenong, where they were running a theatre project.  I’d planned to mostly sit around drinking coffee and smoking, but within a week I was assisting running the project.

Being out of work for so long, my confidence had really suffered.  The encouragement of youth worker Dave gave me the push I needed.  He showed me what I was doing was worthwhile, and so began my career doing theatre works with young people.

A lot of the kids I work with are dealing with abuse or multi-generational unemployment.  Many of them have never had any form of real positive reinforcement.  They may drop out of year eight or nine at high school and they are told they’re useless, they’re idiots.

Getting up on stage, performing, and being applauded gives them positive validation from the community.

At the moment, I am working as an artist-in-residence for Jesuit Social Services  in the open art studios, which is an art space for young people with metal health, drug and alcohol, homeless, whatever, issues – at risk.

Few of the people I’ve worked with become great actors or artists, but some of them just feel that little bit more confident about the way they approach their lives.  For others, their life hasn’t changed but they tell me it was an experience they remember and treasure, and that is really, really, cool.