Matthew Harrison (MEd Education, 2014)
Matt Harrison with Next Level Collaboration co-founder, Jess Rowlings
I completed an exchange from the University of Melbourne to the University of Birmingham in 2013, studying with the autism research group as part of my Master of Education degree.
While I was at Birmingham I threw my hat into the ring for an entrepreneurship competition run by the University at that time, called Plan B. I actually ended up winning (which was a surprise because my background was in teaching, not business). When I returned to Melbourne I completed my PhD and my experiences and the confidence I gained through the Plan B programme helped me to co-found the first neurodivergent-led social enterprise to spin out of the University of Melbourne, Next Level Collaboration.
Next Level Collaboration runs team-based gaming groups for neurodivergent children to help them to develop confidence, collaboration skills and friendships. We employ and train neurodivergent young adults as part of this programme. It goes to show how big things can grow from the opportunities that the University of Birmingham offers.