The Indie Project- A Creative Approach for Neurodivergent Young People Within Schools
Tracks
Monarch - In-Person & OnAIR
| Monday, September 28, 2026 |
| 11:25 AM - 11:55 AM |
| Monarch Room |
Overview
Dom Shelley, Social Futures
Key Learnings
1. Creative expression can unlock engagement where traditional approaches struggle. Creative arts and music provide a powerful, flexible entry point for neurodivergent students to connect, collaborate, and build confidence.
2. Lived-experience mentoring creates trust and psychological safety. Peer mentors who share similar experiences help students feel understood, reducing barriers to participation and strengthening connection.
3. Strong school partnerships amplify impact. Programs integrated into the school environment, with collaboration between facilitators and teachers, create sustainable conditions for belonging, participation, and wellbeing.
Speaker
Mr Dom Shelley
Team Leader
Social Futures
The Indie Project - A Creative Approach for Neurodivergent Young People Within Schools
Presentation Overview
Neurodivergent students often navigate school environments that are not designed with their strengths, communication styles, or wellbeing in mind. Many experience social isolation, disengagement from learning, and limited opportunities to express themselves authentically. The Indie Project, delivered by Social Futures across Southeast Queensland, was created in response to this gap. It is an eight-week, school-based program that supports neurodivergent students to build connection, confidence, and independence through creativity, peer support, and lived-experience mentoring.
Delivered in high schools, The Indie Project combines weekly peer group sessions with small-group mentoring. At its core is a creative arts and music engagement model where students collaborate to write, record, and perform an original song. Music becomes a vehicle for self-expression, identity, and connection, creating a structured yet flexible space where students can contribute in ways that align with their strengths and at a pace that suits them.
This strengths-based approach fosters social connection, confidence, and belonging.
A defining feature of the program is the role of peer mentors who bring lived experience of neurodivergence, mental health challenges, and their own journeys through school. This shared understanding creates psychological safety and trust, with students consistently reporting that they feel seen, understood, and valued.
As of March 2026, The Indie Project has supported 71 young people, with 81% reporting increased confidence and independence, 94% reporting improved skills and knowledge to make informed decisions, and 94% reporting stronger connection to peers. Teachers also report noticeable shifts in engagement and self-confidence.
Strong partnerships with schools have been critical to the program’s success, ensuring the program is embedded within the school environment and delivered in a safe, supported setting. The Indie Project demonstrates that when creativity, belonging, and lived experience are placed at the centre of support, meaningful and lasting wellbeing outcomes are possible.
Delivered in high schools, The Indie Project combines weekly peer group sessions with small-group mentoring. At its core is a creative arts and music engagement model where students collaborate to write, record, and perform an original song. Music becomes a vehicle for self-expression, identity, and connection, creating a structured yet flexible space where students can contribute in ways that align with their strengths and at a pace that suits them.
This strengths-based approach fosters social connection, confidence, and belonging.
A defining feature of the program is the role of peer mentors who bring lived experience of neurodivergence, mental health challenges, and their own journeys through school. This shared understanding creates psychological safety and trust, with students consistently reporting that they feel seen, understood, and valued.
As of March 2026, The Indie Project has supported 71 young people, with 81% reporting increased confidence and independence, 94% reporting improved skills and knowledge to make informed decisions, and 94% reporting stronger connection to peers. Teachers also report noticeable shifts in engagement and self-confidence.
Strong partnerships with schools have been critical to the program’s success, ensuring the program is embedded within the school environment and delivered in a safe, supported setting. The Indie Project demonstrates that when creativity, belonging, and lived experience are placed at the centre of support, meaningful and lasting wellbeing outcomes are possible.
Biography
A highly experienced multi sector worker with 20 years supporting people across mental health, AOD, disability, homelessness, and youth justice. Currently leading a creative music based program designed to build self-confidence, creativity, and social connection for young people who identify as neurodivergent, living with disability or chronic illness, or needing extra support for their mental health. The program is strengths-based, inclusive, and driven by lived experience.
Deeply committed to social justice, collaboration, codesign and innovation when designing programs that empower people, amplify their strengths, and support their wellbeing through creative and meaningful connections.
Team Leader for The Indie Project.
