Following high school, Daimon kickstarted his own music-oriented youth workshops that provided a supportive, creative platform to inspire confidence in young people in Toowoomba. A lot of the young people up there didn't have any of their own equipment so Daimon personally set out to source equipment from local musicians.

He then went on to create his own not-for-profit record label and booking agency exclusively for local, young musicians – all while in his late teens!

“After the workshops, I started my own independent non-profit record label and booking agency - Crooked Teeth Records. I booked tours, events and recordings so young people would have the opportunities without having the stress of funding themselves.”

To make that all happen, Daimon organised local studios, artists, venues and radio stations to set up a support system that was beneficial for their supporters whilst being cost-free for the young people involved. All this while being a touring musician and on the road himself.

Toward the end of 2019, Daimon made the move to Australia’s live music capital – Melbourne. His decision wasn’t easy, but Daimon was ready for a change of pace and to improve his job prospects. But what ensued was beyond his wildest expectations…

Like thousands of young Australians, Daimon found himself in the midst of a job market crippled by the pandemic by the middle of 2020. He found the courage to reach out for help and that’s when we first met Daimon.

Daimon commenced Block 1 of our Employability Skills Training (EST) program with Youth Projects and his Coach, Julia, recognised his potential from the get-go.

“2020 threw a spanner in the works for Damion, but I could see a shining star that was really keen on starting a career helping other young people. I could easily see him becoming an asset to any organisation that was ready to take him on.” says Julia, Youth Employability Skills Coach.

When we first met Daimon, we were blown away by dedication, enthusiasm and passion for youth justice. His eagerness, lived experience and supporting friends through hardship and disadvantage put him in the perfect position to start building a career in community services.

In knowing this, Julia facilitated an industry presentation with one of our Community Services Traineeship specialists as part of the EST program to seed ideas of the opportunities out there for young people like Daimon.

When Daimon found out about our Community Services Traineeship pilot program, he immediately put his hand up to find out more and participate. Within a few hours the industry presentation, Daimon had polished his resume and was at the ready to apply for a traineeship.

Daimon had expressed that he would love to continue his work with young people, particularly those at-risk of, or experiencing homelessness.

Later that week, an opportunity came up with Family Access Network – a local organisation responding to the diverse needs of homeless and at-risk young people and young families.

We sent him the position description, and Daimon was very keen to apply! He had submitted his application to the hiring manager and was called for an interview all within mere weeks of that EST industry presentation.

Daimon aced his interview and was successful in obtaining a full-time traineeship with Family Access Network. Whilst he waits for COVID-19 restrictions to start easing he’ll commence his online learning so he’s ready to hit the ground running when the time comes.

His new position is a multifaceted role that see’s Daimon dabbling in administrative work, contributing to the preparation and running of client services groups and frontline response working with young people.

“I am absolutely stoked that he has been successful in finding a meaningful role in his dream industry!” says Julia, his Youth Employability Skills Coach.

 

If you find yourself thinking about what your future could hold, drop us a line to connect with one of our youth coaches to explore the opportunities that could lay ahead for you.