Life as a youth worker

Matthew Norman supports deaf young people in Melbourne as a youth worker, reaching out with empathy and acknowledgement that he was once in their shoes.

Bachelor of Youth Work graduate Matthew lost his hearing when he was just two years old, which inspired his career path as an adult.

“I didn’t really know which direction I wanted to go in when I was finishing high school,” Matthew said. “I originally thought about a degree in environmental science but I ended up getting a youth work diploma instead.”

Taking a detour

Matthew enjoyed his youth work studies, but he was hesitant to enter the field professionally at this stage. “I just had a sense I was too young, so I became an apprentice chef.”

While Matthew enjoyed cooking, “it was very, very hard. Though I did learn to swear a lot!” When he returned home to Melbourne after spending two years working overseas, he took up youth work again and began working for Deaf Children Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that supports deaf and hard of hearing young people and their families. 

“Even though I was back to youth work, it was funny how my chef skills were put to good use,” Matthew said. “Working in kitchens professionally, I learnt how to be patient, how to focus on one task at a time, and then also how to multitask. I came to learn how to communicate with people more clearly too. These are all skills that have come into play in my youth work career.”

Study support

Matthew sensed he needed to improve his skills and knowledge and enrolled in the Bachelor of Youth Work at ACU’s Melbourne Campus.

“This time I was 28 years old, so I felt more prepared. But it was still really hard as at the time I was working full-time as a youth worker, plus I run my own business working as a deaf mentor and I also had a casual job working in residential care. I just couldn’t say no as I knew a degree would further my career.”

As a deaf student at university, Matthew’s support requirements were different to most, but he was helped along throughout the degree.

“I had a great team of disability liaison officers (DLOs) at ACU, and I had an AUSLAN interpreter and notetaker. And there was actually another hearing impaired student in my course as well. If you believe you should have access to something like education, you have to fight for it. But ACU was great about providing me with everything I needed to get through my degree.”

Creating a career

Matthew is currently working as a community liaison officer for the Victorian College for the Deaf, one of Australia’s oldest schools for deaf and hard of hearing children in both primary and secondary school.

“My job is more of a counselling role, so I’m a person the young students can talk to if they’re going through a hard time, which helps lighten the load on the teachers. So, I might observe someone in class and offer the teachers some feedback on how to better engage with them. But all of the teachers can sign, and the students generally have great support. It’s more about the emotions.

“But I like working with teenagers. I know they’re going through a complex time emotionally, and as a deaf adult, I know I can help them navigate their way through. I mean, I turned out alright!”

Matthew also continues to run his business working as a deaf mentor for children.

“I’ll take them out, play sports, try new things like cooking or painting, go snowboarding or just head out for a walk. We often discuss their feelings and get into those sorts of topics.”

Take your time

Matthew’s advice for anyone interested in a youth work career is to take your time.

“If you recently finished high school and you don’t feel you’re ready, it’s ok,” he said. “Do something else, and then come back to it. For me, I’m glad I waited till I was a bit older. It was good to have a bit of life experience behind me first, plus it simply helped me widen the age gap between myself and the young people I support.

“But a really important lesson I learnt early on in my degree is that you can’t help everyone. If you feel like you can’t support someone, you should never be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes you need to accept that maybe you’re not the right match for that young person.”

The experience of empathy

Matthew is happy to keep working for the Victorian College of the Deaf for as long as he can, with his deafness allowing him to connect with the students in a unique way.

“I think being deaf might have made me a more empathetic youth worker. Anyone who has some kind of disability has faced barriers and learnt how to overcome them, and those same barriers are what the young people I am working with now are facing. It just adds to my experience and knowledge, as well as my empathy.”

Find out more about where a youth work degree can take you.