During his first night in prison at 16 years old, Michael Kwan knew it was time to take accountability for the choices he’d made. Now, Michael wants to share the opportunities he made for himself - an education, a part-time job, a place to call home - with other at-risk youth and those already inside the youth justice system. He’s now the CEO and co-founder of Praxis Youth, a non-profit that is translating big ideas into real action for young people.  

On this episode of We built this thing, Michael chats with host Justine Rogers about what drove him to complete an education from behind bars, to graduate from high school, and pursue engineering at UNSW. As if he hasn’t accomplished enough in such a short time, they’ll also dive into Michael’s life as a CEO in his 20s and how he’s turned his life’s mission into an award-winning organisation. 

During his first night in prison at 16 years old, Michael Kwan knew it was time to take accountability for the choices he&rsquo;d made. Now, Michael wants to share the opportunities he made for himself - an education, a part-time job, a place to call home - with other at-risk youth and those already inside the youth justice system. He&rsquo;s now the CEO and co-founder of Praxis Youth, a non-profit that is translating big ideas into real action for young people.&nbsp;&nbsp;
On this episode of&nbsp;We built this thing, Michael chats with host Justine Rogers about what drove him to complete an education from behind bars, to graduate from high school, and pursue engineering at UNSW. As if he&nbsp;hasn&rsquo;t&nbsp;accomplished&nbsp;enough in such&nbsp;a short time,&nbsp;they&rsquo;ll&nbsp;also dive into Michael&rsquo;s life as a CEO in his 20s and how&nbsp;he&rsquo;s&nbsp;turned his life&rsquo;s mission into an award-winning organisation.&nbsp;

Not your average 9 to 5 job.

Life after school can feel more like a high wire act than a clear path forward.

From picking the right career, to saving for your first place, to figuring out who you are and what you stand for. A decade (or two) passes in the blink of an eye. And then what? You were meant to travel, see stuff. Be someone. And what about the environment? Is anyone doing anything about that? Won’t AI make us all obsolete in the next couple of years anyway? So many questions and just one life.

Enter We built this thing – a podcast series designed to share tips and bring a little joy to lead a more fulfilled life with host Dr Justine Rogers an Associate Law Professor and stand-up performer. 

Presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas, We built this thing shares stories from founders, engineers and passionate creatives who aren’t following a traditional career path yet are achieving their dreams and living a life aligned with their values on their own terms.

Not your average 9 to 5 job.
Life after school can feel more like a high wire act than a clear path forward.
From picking the right career, to saving for your first place, to figuring out who you are and what you stand for. A decade (or two) passes in the blink of an eye. And then what? You were meant to travel, see stuff. Be someone. And what about the environment? Is anyone doing anything about that? Won&rsquo;t AI make us all obsolete in the next couple of years anyway? So many questions and just one life.
Enter We built this thing&nbsp;&ndash; a podcast series designed to share tips and bring a little joy to lead a more fulfilled life with host Dr Justine Rogers an Associate Law Professor and stand-up performer.&nbsp;
Presented by the&nbsp;<a href="https://unswcentreforideas.com/">UNSW Centre for Ideas</a>, We built this thing&nbsp;shares stories from founders, engineers and passionate creatives who aren&rsquo;t following a traditional career path yet are achieving their dreams and living a life aligned with their values on their own terms.

We built this thing

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

UNSW Centre for Ideas

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Idea…

UNSW Centre for Ideas | All Episodes

We built this thing Ep3: From incarcerated to CEO: driving change in youth justice from the inside-out with Michael Kwan 

After 17 years at the United Nations, Janet Salem was growing frustrated with the gap between the sustainability data she was gathering, and the information businesses were using to make investment decisions. She saw an opportunity to give business’s crucial insight into their resource consumption and environmental impact to make more informed decisions, the same way food packaging provides nutritional information so that consumers can make more informed decisions. Now, she’s co-founded a start-up to help get sustainable investment a green thumbs up from the CFO.

Her journey from UNSW environmental engineering graduate to UN advisor to start-up co-founder sounds like a perfectly executed career path, but none of it was planned. On this episode of We built this thing, Janet chats with host Justine Rogers about being a first-time founder in her 40s. From getting over imposter syndrome in the tech-bro universe to the benefits of breaking the mould from the traditional ideas of what a fintech founder, UN advisor or engineer should be.

After 17 years at the United Nations, Janet Salem was growing frustrated with the gap between the sustainability data she was gathering, and the information businesses were using to make investment decisions. She saw an opportunity to give business&rsquo;s crucial insight into their resource consumption and environmental impact to make more informed decisions, the same way food packaging provides nutritional information so that consumers can make more informed decisions. Now, she&rsquo;s co-founded a start-up to help get sustainable investment a green thumbs up from the CFO.
Her journey from UNSW environmental engineering graduate to UN advisor to start-up co-founder sounds like a perfectly executed career path, but none of it was planned. On this episode of We built this thing, Janet chats with host Justine Rogers about being a first-time founder in her 40s. From getting over imposter syndrome in the tech-bro universe to the benefits of breaking the mould from the traditional ideas of what a fintech founder, UN advisor or engineer should be.

We built this thing Ep2: The competitive edge as a first-time founder in your 40s with Janet Salem

On this episode, Shannon chats about pivoting your start-up after funding failure, committing to your mission and transforming lives in the process. 

On this episode, Shannon chats about pivoting your start-up after funding failure, committing to your mission and transforming lives in the process.&nbsp;

We built this thing Ep1: When solving the water crisis comes from thin air with Shannon Lemanski

The development of AI has brought humanity to the cusp of a seismic change the likes of which has never been seen before. Workforces of the future will be dramatically different, as some jobs become obsolete and people scramble to learn new skills and ways of working. But just as this intelligence revolution has called into question the role of humans, could it be the catalyst for more purposeful leadership and smarter working? Could the very essence of being human – empathy, creativity and collaboration – become skills more important than ever as AI increasingly takes over dull, dirty, difficult and dangerous tasks? 

Join the world’s first neuro-futurist, Joel Pearson, in this masterclass exploring how AI is rapidly disrupting work, trust, relationships and our sense of certainty. He offers practical strategies for managing uncertainty, protecting our critical-thinking skills and keeping human wellbeing at the centre of the transition.

The development of AI has brought humanity to the cusp of a seismic change the likes of which has never been seen before. Workforces of the future will be dramatically different, as some jobs become obsolete and people scramble to learn new skills and ways of working. But just as this intelligence revolution has called into question the role of humans, could it be the catalyst for more purposeful leadership and smarter working? Could the very essence of being human &ndash; empathy, creativity and collaboration &ndash; become skills more important than ever as AI increasingly takes over dull, dirty, difficult and dangerous tasks?&nbsp;
Join the world&rsquo;s first neuro-futurist, Joel Pearson, in this masterclass exploring how AI is rapidly disrupting work, trust, relationships and our sense of certainty. He offers practical strategies for managing uncertainty, protecting our critical-thinking skills and keeping human wellbeing at the centre of the transition.

We built this thing Ep3: From incarcerated to CEO: driving change in youth justice from the inside-out with Michael Kwan

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