Our mission is to empower young men with disabilities to reach their unique goals and aspirations by providing meaningful value and support.
Straight out of school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I enrolled in agribusiness, deferred, tried nursing, and neither felt right. Around the same time I'd had back surgery for scoliosis, then heart surgery, and a run of health scares that knocked my confidence and my mental health.
Two things turned it around. A six-week holiday job in the activities team at a nursing home showed me how much the right activity and some one-on-one time can change someone's day. Then I volunteered at a basketball event with an Australian Paralympian. I watched him get out of his modified car and talk about losing the use of his legs, training hard and playing wheelchair basketball for Australia. I remember thinking: he's chasing his goals, and I've got fewer excuses than he does.
I started working in disability support and loved it, especially with young guys. Most of the job was working out what they were good at, what they were into and what gave them energy, then building on that until they believed it was within reach.
By 2022 I was supporting seven or eight young men on my own, so I left a stable full-time job and turned that work into Dynamic Support WA. We've now supported more than 70 young men.
What keeps me going is a moment I've seen over and over. A young guy tries a new way of asking a question or approaching something, it works, and you see a little smile of satisfaction. That's the change we're here for, and hopefully it carries into the rest of his life.
William Burgess
Founder and Managing Director
Guys relate to guys. Our mentors are close in age to the young men they support, so it's easier for him to open up and talk about what's going on. He can look at his mentor and see who he could become, rather than working with someone much older.
The years from 13 to 25 are when everything changes at once. Primary school to high school. Puberty. A body that's changing, friendships that get harder, a growing interest in relationships. Add ADHD, autism, or a physical or intellectual disability on top, and it becomes a lot, with not many people to talk to about it.
Then school finishes. Eight hours a day of structure disappears and he has to fill it. Not everyone goes to uni or TAFE. Some want work, some don't need it, but everyone needs a purpose.
I moved schools three times, so I know how much those changes take out of you. We work with young men from 13 to 25 because that's where the transitions are. By 25, the goal is that he's set up for whatever he wants his life to look like.
We're honest with families. If we're not the right fit for him, we'll tell you and help you find who is.
Most of the guys walk in nervous, so we start silly on purpose. Once he's comfortable, everything else becomes possible.
His mentor, our facilitators, our coordinator and you work toward the same goals, and we keep you in the loop.
Request a 15-minute call. We'll learn a little about him, talk through his goals and plan, and set up a meet and greet.