Matt uses his personal experience and passion to power dreams

Matt Rees is a Support Worker at Northcott Life Skills in Coffs Harbour, and he also provides Individual Supports for individual customers. He was born with spina bifida and has always been on the search for ways to use his personal experiences to support others.

Although he worked in restaurants and cafes at a young age, Matt (pictured) always knew that his vocation was to provide service to and advocate for people with disability; he is passionate about empowering people with disability to lead a great life, supporting them to be the best they can be.

Matt has furthered his career in the disability sector through both education and work experience. He started as a casual Support Worker at Northcott three years ago, and is now part of the Everyday Life Skills team. Last year, Matt obtained a Certificate IV in Disability Support, which has allowed him to strengthen his support capabilities.

“I love being a role model for the customers that I work with and sharing my own experiences with those around me,” Matt explained. “I love being able to go to work and make a difference in someone’s life, whether it is small or big, and support them with a person-centred and strengths based approach to allow them to achieve their goals and aspirations. It is amazing to be able to bring smiles to a person’s life and to see them listen, learn, create and achieve amazing things.

Matt has also been able to bring his own unique experiences to the workplace, integrating them into the different programs and activities. “Within the Everyday Life Skills program, I have run several groups such as the cooking group and men’s group,” he said.

“At the men’s group in particular, I have used my own life experiences as examples. Growing up with a disability, going through school, finding work, studying, and other topics such as bullying, inclusion, hygiene and relationships have been some of the subjects I could contribute to this group from my own experience.

“With many customers, I have used these experiences as examples to help them find their own ability to achieve their goals and aspirations and to ensure they have a place in society and they are living life to the fullest and achieving their potential.”