Reggie’s Story
Reggie is a young, non-binary person from Melbourne who spent time growing up in foster care. They are currently working at the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare as a Youth Support Facilitator, which involves working with a team of policy makers and contributing their lived experience of the Out of Home Care (OOHC) sector to provide advice to policy and projects. As a staunch advocate for improving the OOHC sector for young people and for supporting young people with a disability, mental health challenges and advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights, they were drawn to a role at Victoria’s peak body for child and family services.
In high school Reggie studied Media, Studio Arts, Business Management and the essentials like English and further Mathematics. They enjoyed learning about the different processes for digital media and fine art. These subjects didn’t have a big influence on their chosen pathway. They persevered in their high school years and graduated with a VCE certificate despite various challenges they faced along the way, including a debilitating and life-altering mental illness. After spending time in foster care, Reggie became homeless straight out of high school when their care placement ended at age 18, leaving them without financial and emotional support or a place to live.
Between 2012-2017 Reggie worked various odd jobs, including for Woolworths. In 2017 they started studying a Certificate III in IT as part of a traineeship offered by a primary school in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, and in 2018 went on to work for the Department of Health and Human Services (now the Department of Families Fairness and Housing) as a Cadet under a training program designed for VET graduates. Reggie then went on to work for the Royal Flying Doctor service before leaving to commence a Certificate IV in Youth Work in 2020, after which they were employed in their current position at the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.
Among their extensive work and study experiences, Reggie has had an ongoing leadership role at Scouts Victoria since 2014 as a Cub Scout Leader and later a Venturer Scout leader in 2020, a position they hold now. Reggie has also volunteered their time extensively for organisations like the CREATE Foundation (who support and advocate for young people in care) and has worked with advocacy groups on the Homestretch campaign (which is pushing for the age of care to increase from 18 to 21 across Australia to give young people increased stability and a better start to life). Since January 2021, young people in OOHC in Victoria are supported to age 21. Reggie has also delivered talks and been a panelist on events at the Melbourne Museum and The Wheeler Centre where they have shared their experience as a care leaver.
Reggie is currently studying a degree in Film and hopes that one day they will be able to use their life and work experience to help young people to find a pathway in life using multimedia. They continue to be an inspiring young person who will always stand up for people who are being treated unfairly, especially if they have a disability, are LGBTIQA, transgender or have a lived experience of being in OOHC. Reggie strives to advocate for young people who do not have a voice and is passionate about working with young people to empower them.
