Dan's path to Whitelion

Apr 03, 2018

Dan Taylor – Facilitator for Stride wellbeing program

After doing gymnastics coaching from the age of 16, I knew that I really enjoyed working with young people and liked the idea of being able to help them develop life skills.

As a result, I embarked on a social work degree and have now worked with young people in skill development for over 10 years. It is so satisfying to empower them with life skills and different ways of thinking that can help them navigate their challenges and relationships better.

At Whitelion, I deliver all of the Stride skill development and well-being programs for students and teachers. This includes running full-day interactive workshops with students that cover areas such as leadership, peer support, resilience, cyber-bulling, and positive relationships.

Recently, I worked with a group of Year 11 students, giving them skills to help themselves but also to connect with and support other students who may have issues they need to address. Part of this program involved teaching the students to identify serious problems and pass them on to school staff for support.

As a result of the training, one of the Year 11s approached the school psychologist about a younger student they thought might be suicidal. The school psychologist connected with this student and helped them. For me, that was such a positive outcome – moments like these are why I do my job.

If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14

Stride

Stride wellbeing programs provide young people with essential life skills through workshops focussed on relationship and community, resilience, career transitions and school engagement. They equip young people to deal with life’s challenges, leading to increased self-efficacy (belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task) and positive community involvement. Whitelion also offers Stride wellbeing programs for young people in Indigenous communities across Australia to encourage physical, social and emotional health.

To find out more, go to: https://stride.org.au/