About Us

Dream Catchers Academy (DCA) is the Australian Advocate of the US-based Why Try? social and emotional resilience and wellbeing life skills program.

Our Mission

"Unlocking Youth Potential”
by
“Cultivating Achievers”

Why Try? Australian Pilot Project:

David Yap invited Christian Moore and Hans Magleby, founders of the US-based Why Try? program to conduct the first Why Try Facilitators Certification workshops in Wagga Wagga, Sydney. Two workshops were also held at the Victorian Police Training Academy.

Encouraging feedback motivated David Yap, to serve as Volunteer CEO of Oztry Youth Assist Ltd, to further conduct Facilitators Certification workshops, in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney. Melbourne and Queensland with School Psychologists. Student Welfare Counsellors, Youth Support Coordinators (Qld) and PD/HPE teachers.

They facilitated Why Try? with over 5,000 students in 65 high schools and several youth service agencies, e.g. Youth-Off-The-Streets had 8 Youth Counsellors attend a Facilitators workshop.

The head office of PCYC, Police & Community Youth Clubs, nominated ten Police Officers from ten PCYCs to attend the first workshop.

60 Rotary Clubs donated teaching and learning resources, charged at-cost, to their local high school.

David was invited to present Why Try? at two ASPA (Australian Secondary Principals Association) annual conferences and the ACSA, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, “ A national curriculum- a conversation” Canberra conference.

Building on the Successful Pilot Project:

For the first time, Dream Catchers Academy will present the Online version of the secondary /high school Why Try? program curriculum. Face-to-face training will also be offered.

We will offer the Primary School Why Try? curriculum in 2024.

Let us, together, help Youth Unlock Their Potential.

Subscribe to DCA’s website

David Yap, Resilience & Neuro-Change Educator
Jeanette Yap, DCA Marketing & Admin. Lead

David Yap

“It is a privilege to devote the rest of my life to empowering youth with life-transformation education.”

Committed to giving back to Australia, David donated time and funding in the role of Volunteer CEO of non-profit Oztry Youth Assist Ltd to implement the Why Try? program’s successful pilot project in Australia.

The post-Covid youth mental health crisis has motivated David and Jeanette Yap to endeavour, from hereon, to equip as many more young people with social and emotional resilience life skills.

David is also passionate about sharing neuroscience-based practices and strategies which foster brain health and quality of life.

David’s Education Background:

Certified Practitioner, The Neuro Change Method 2021, Neuro-Change Institute’s program on Mindsets, Emotional Intelligence, the Subconscious Mind and Neuroplasticity.

Certified Facilitator, The Why Try? Program (USA) & Certified Facilitator, Resilience for Youth program. 2004, 2021@ www.whytry.org

Certificate IV, Property Services (Real Estate), REINSW, 2018

Graduate Certificate in Management Development (Education & Training), 2001.Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

Trainer, Achievement Motivation Training, Harvard Uni, at MARA Institute of Technology, Malaysia. 1975

Certified Facilitator, the Adventures in Attitudes, 30 hour program, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 1974.

Awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship for a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) at Syracuse University, New York. Sept.1969-71, majored in Organisational Behaviour & Development. (3.5 GPA, 85% completed).

Bachelor of Economics (Hons), University of Malaysia. 1966-June 1969

Jeanette Yap

Motivated by the belief that “youth are a nation’s most precious asset” Jeanette recently co-founded Dream Catchers Academy to empower as many young people as possible with resilience and self-development education.

She was a director of Oztry Youth Assist Ltd and the major financial donor to fund the successful introduction of the Why Try program to over 5,000 Australian high school students in 65 high schools and several youth service agencies.

Jeanette offers a wealth of management and training experience gained in demanding roles in corporate sales training and support services, events organisation, direct selling, and real estate sales.

Past roles, in a multinational corporation include: National Sales Training Manager, Australia & New Zealand; Corporate Senior Sales Support and Training Coordinator; District Sales Manager; Sales Manager, real estate.

Jeanette is an engaging communicator who is very well liked and respected by clients, colleagues, friends and family.

She delights in spending time with family, cooking and watching Korean and Chinese drama series.

Jeanette was Certified as ‘Facilitator of Why Try’ by Christian Moore and Hans Magleby, founders of the Why Try? program.

Jeanette takes on the voluntary role as DCA’s Marketing & Admin. Lead,

Why Try? Story & Founders:

Founder of Why Try? Christian Moore’s inspiring Why Try? story

Christian Moore, founder of the Why Try? program, is an internationally-renowned speaker, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW. and the author of “The Resilience Breakthrough: 27 Tools for Turning Adversity into Action.”

He was a commencement speaker for the School of Education at John Hopkins University and has spoken at the White House First Lady’s Convening of the Reach Higher Initiative.

Christian’s unique insights into youth development motivated him to create the Why Try program that has engaged over 3 million students with different learning styles.

Why Try? is practised in over 30,000 schools, inspiring students in all 50 states in USA, Canada and Australia to get back on track, to embark on Why Try’s self-transformation journey. Over 200,000 Educators trained.

Christian shares his inspiring story of challenges at home, at school, and with peers in the above videos.

His parents both had mental health challenges. He had 12 siblings.

He was diagnosed with ADHD and severe learning difficulties, He was headed for trouble, when his childhood mentor, Patricia ‘Mama’ Jackson, challenged him not to waste his life. She fed Christian, nurtured him, and gave him structure. Most importantly, she taught him to be resilient.

Christian beat the odds to get a Master’s degree with a 6th grade math level and a 7th grade reading and writing level.

Discovering that many disengaged students were visual learners motivated Christian to lead a team of psychologists, artists, a technology specialist, counsellors, therapists, teachers, and school administrators to create the evidence-based Why Try? multisensory program, based on ten visual metaphors or analogies teaching critical social and emotional resilience life skills, using hands-on activities, engaging video clips, music, journals, art activities, book lists and more.

He consistently earns the highest ratings at national and international conferences and events.

Hans Magleby

Hans Magleby is the President and co-founder of US-based Why Try Inc. and creator of the Why Try? Program with Christian Moore. Hans is an experienced public speaker, with over 16 years as a presenter, ++trainer, and consultant. Hans frequently speaks to audiences of educators, administrators, counsellors, and mental health professionals as well as probations officers and corrections staff.

Hans has a diverse background in technology, education, and business. As the art director for a video game company, he developed a passion for using technology to teach and engage youth. Hans later started Free servers, a successful Internet company that grew rapidly to support and service over 2 million customers. Since selling Freeservers to About.com, Hans has been dedicated, in the past 20 years, to the growth and mission of Why Try, developing continuously improved practical tools to teach resilience and motivate youth.

David Yap’s Past Work Experience, in a range of industries, included:

Business Development Director, Riverina Institute of TAFE, NSW
General Manager of Tabor College, an Australian Government Accredited Higher Education provider
General Manager, Cavehills Development, with $10 million issued capital.
Government Accredited Business Migration Agent, operated in 5 countries.
Responsible for financially turning around several loss centres to achieving respectable profitability.
General Manager, Sou’West Seafoods, abalone exports
Sr Int’l Trade Executive, NSW Chamber of Manufactures
Founder GM of a Business Modernisation Centre, in Malaysia, that served over 6,000 paying attendees of business management workshops, in the first 2 years of setting-up.
General Manager, International Operations Division, of public-listed Mulpha International Trading Bhd.
Personnel Manager, public listed Asia Motors Bhd,
Director/Shareholder, Cane Craft Malaysia; MD of PMA Group Sdn. Bhd. which David financially turned around,

David’s Community Service Experience:

As Volunteer CEO of Oztry Youth Assist Ltd, introduced the Why Try? program to 65 Australian schools and several youth service agencies.
President of PCYC Wagga Wagga for two years.
Active former Rotarian, Wagga Wagga and Brookvale clubs.

Motivational Speaker at personal development rallies, enjoyed by over 10,000 students at schools & adult audiences at various hotels, e.g. KL Hilton Hotel, 1,000+ attendees; Merlin Hotel, (600 + pax), in Malaysia

Volunteer, Selangor Vocational Guidance Association. Gave motivational talks at many schools.

Hon. Adviser to the Federation of 52 Trade Associations, Malaysia. Initiated profitable win-win business companies/projects for 4 Malaysian trade associations.

David was invited to these international events:

Guest of the Canadian government, David chaired a ‘Venture Capital’ workshop attended by 400 of the 700 delegates from 40 countries, at the International Symposium for Small Business, Ottawa, Canada.
Guest of the New Zealand Exports Institute to visit showcase businesses in New Zealand, South and North Island.
Guest of the ASEAN & Treviso-Italy Chamber of Commerce, visited Italian showcase enterprises. ‘ASEAN’ is the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
Guest of the Asia Foundation’s USA head office, to visit Junior Achievement Inc. (nationwide high school Entrepreneurial Clubs) and the Small Business Administration, SBA, Washington HQ;
Volunteer Aide to world famous Buckminster Fuller, then 83 years old, for 4 days, at the “Malaysia 2000” Futurology Conference in 1975, featuring world Futurists.

Youth Activist, David:

Founder-President of AIESEC Malaysia, at the University of Malaya. AIESEC operates in 11 Australian Universities, 2,400 Universities in 126 countries. *David was Guest Speaker at Sydney University’s 50th AIESEC Anniversary Evening
President of Economics Students Society, with 600 undergraduate members, at the University of Malaya. Raised funding to lead 21 undergrads on a 28 days AIESEC Study Tour of leading business factories, like Toyota, Noritake, Asahi Beer etc in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea.
Convenor of “Service to Schools” Club, a Uni.long vacation project.
Vice-Chancellor, University of Malaya, commissioned David to head a a review of “Decision Making Processes at the University” (Project Alur) which resulted in several process restructuring outcomes.
Winner of Methodist Boys School Elocution Competition:“ Life is a Rat Race”