From State care to the classroom

FOR Christopher Dawes, navigating the challenges of growing up in State care could have easily defined his future. Instead, he allowed the circumstances and his faith in God to positively shape the person he is today, becoming a passionate and purpose-driven educator.

Dawes is a graduate of Shortwood Teachers’ College, where he earned a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education with a specialisation in human ecology. He told JIS News that his journey into State care started at the age of 14, following what he described as a traumatic incident.

“My journey into State care was born out of circumstances that were beyond my control as a child,” he shared. After a short period at St John Bosco, he transitioned to St Augustine Place of Safety and then later to Mount Olivet Boys’ Home, where he stayed until he was 18 years old.