Regular Giving

Free to Be Me

Zoe Dorsett (age 18)

Supporting Young People

‘One time I took scissors and cut my arm. I was so frustrated with everything. Ever since I met Jade everything is different. He has taught me how not to be frustrated. I’m very grateful to have him’.

The difference that Northcott’s young person leaving care mentoring program has made to 18 year old Zoe, who has an intellectual disability, is very clear. 18 months ago she had no self-confidence, she was struggling to communicate, she was going to drop out of school and most worryingly, she was self-harming.

Fast forward 18 months and Zoe is a happy, chatty, young adult. This incredible transformation is all down to the work that Zoe’s mentor, Jade Strongman, and Zoe herself have put in together. Zoe has just celebrated graduating from High School, where she gained an award for English, she has a job and is looking forward to learning how to live independently.

Fortunately with your support, young people like Zoe, are able to get help from Northcott’s young person mentoring program. You are helping to ensure that young vulnerable people with disabilities get the right support to work out how they can live their life to the full.

Turning 18 is a celebratory time for many young people, but imagine if you had a disability, you had turned 18 and the law required you to leave home. How would you have coped if you had no family to support you? This is a very real challenge for the many young people with disabilities who are living in group homes or in foster care.

$25 can go towards a mentor being able to support  young people leaving care like Zoe.