Meet Dylan: The TtW Mentor Rolling the Dice on Youth Development 

Not every youth development skill-building tool looks like a skill-building program. Dylan, a Youth Support Mentor in our Transition to Work (TtW) team at Mai-Wel in Maitland, runs a Dungeons and Dragons workshop for young people aged 15 to 24, and the results speak for themselves. 

What might sound unconventional is, in practice, one of the most purposeful skill-building spaces in our program. 

From the Table to the Workplace 

Dylan has played Dungeons and Dragons in his personal time for many years and has identified the connection between game-based skills and transferable employment skills and youth development while working in Mai-Wel's employment services.  

The game is built on groups, communication, overcoming challenges, and working toward goals. Dungeons and Dragons offers a unique way to cater to employment barriers for young people in a low-risk space and practise skill development and personal growth. 

He also noticed something specific about the participants he was supporting. Many respond well to structured social settings, and many face real barriers around interpersonal skills and confidence in group environments.  

What a Session Looks Like 

For anyone who has never picked up a character sheet, Dylan's explanation is simple. Dungeons and Dragons has influenced so much of popular culture that most people have already experienced the concept without realising it. Countless shows and films draw on the same ideas of characters, choices, and consequences. 

The TtW Dungeons and Dragons workshops are small, intentional, and designed to be genuinely accessible. Visual aids, maps, guides, and character sheets help make the game as digestible as possible.  

Before joining the group, each participant sits down with Dylan one on one to identify what they are interested in and set some personal goals. 

The aim is to learn the game, build confidence, and eventually develop the leadership skills to become a Game Master. That last step is not just a game milestone, it is a confidence milestone. 

For participants who find group settings hard, the format opens a door that might otherwise stay closed. Speaking as a character can feel safer than speaking as yourself. That shift in confidence rarely stays within the fiction of the game, often building real transferable skills that can support employability. 

Wins Worth Celebrating 

Dylan is deliberate about how he marks participant progress, taking the time to check in, reflect on what happens as the game goes on, and name what each person had contributed.  

Recently, a group of participants faced a choice in-game: take the easy path, or think strategically. They chose the harder, more diplomatic approach, building toward a better outcome. Dylan saw exactly what that moment represented, and he made sure they did too. 

More Than Job Readiness 

The skills participants build around the table align with those employers are looking for. The ability to communicate clearly, work as part of a team, think creatively under pressure, and bounce back when things do not go to plan. For young people on their journey toward employment, that is exactly the point.  

Soft skills, community and a place to belong all matter. Having a safe, engaging, social space is just as important as any employment outcome, and that sense of belonging has proven to extend well beyond the program.