How Wenty Leagues is helping students be UNSTOPPABLE

Year 9 students Aya Ibrahim, Daniel So and Taliuli Junior Talitaliuli are emerging as resilient, confident and empathetic young leaders at the tender age of 14 — thanks to a life-changing program called UNSTOPPABLE KIDS.

And one of the biggest supporters of the program is Wenty Leagues, whose funding has helped bring the program to life in local schools.

Developed by Dee Raquel Joma, founder of the BE UNSTOPPABLE FOUNDATION, the eight-week program teaches teenagers practical skills in emotional regulation, goal setting, stress management and communication. The skills help to build mental strength, confidence, resilience and ‘positive mental health’.

Over the past four years, UNSTOPPABLE KIDS has been a fixture at Granville South Creative & Performing Arts High School, delivering programs to students who often face complex social and cultural pressures. 

“Since 2022, Wenty Leagues has proudly contributed $200,000 to the BE UNSTOPPABLE FOUNDATION, with more than $125,000 specifically supporting their positive mental health programs in high schools,” says Rebecca Gauci, Wenty Leagues Community Engagement Coordinator. 

“We’re incredibly proud to support the BE UNSTOPPABLE FOUNDATION.”

School Principal Joumana Youssef adds: “The UNSTOPPABLE KIDS program has transformed how our students approach challenges. 

“Over time, it’s broken the stigma around mental health and equipped our students with the confidence, resilience and lifelong skills to thrive.”

And that’s exactly the sentiment of Aya Ibrahim, 14, who says the program has taught her to believe in bigger possibilities.

“I used to set low goals. I didn’t think I was capable of much,” she says.

“Now I want to be a firefighter or a paramedic like my brother. The program has given me the confidence to dream bigger.”

Aya also says the program helped her understand people better. 

“I used to get upset with friends easily but now I think more about why they might be acting that way. I’ve become more empathetic,” she says.

Daniel So joined as part of his development in the school’s Student Representative Council and was surprised by how much it helped him.

“I thought it would be boring but it taught me how to manage stress, be patient and use positive self-talk. I learned how to stop judging others and be more open,” he says.

For Taliuli Junior Talitaliuli, a rising rugby league player, the program has taught him to manage the demands of early-morning school starts and after-school training.

“I used to get angry fast, like zero to a hundred,” he says. 

“Now I stop, breathe and think before reacting. That’s helped me on the field, in class and even at home.”

Beyond individual success stories, the impact has been community wide. Teachers and other school staff have reported increased engagement, better conflict resolution among peers and more positive student-teacher relationships.

Wenty Leagues’ support has been essential in delivering the program free of charge to schools like Granville South Creative & Performing Arts High School.

And for the founder, Dee, this is not just a program. It’s her goal to help young people.

“I didn’t let the trauma of my past stop me from creating my future,” she says. 

“And I want young people, especially those growing up in challenging environments, to know they can do the same. That’s where the name BE UNSTOPPABLE came from.”

Dee’s own story is one of resilience. After surviving childhood abuse, domestic abuse, her father's suicide and the collapse of her business during the 2009 financial crisis, she hit rock bottom. 

But instead of giving up, she moved to New York, sought therapy, studied positive psychology and coaching, and returned to Australia with a mission — to help others find strength in adversity. BE UNSTOPPABLE’s mission is to be ‘a positive change catalyst in the lives of millions of people worldwide’.

With 11 schools now participating and over 2000 young people set to benefit from the foundation’s programs in 2025 alone, Dee’s vision is gaining momentum.

“We’re not just teaching strategies,” she says. “We’re planting seeds of belief and with the support of partners like Wenty Leagues, we’re seeing those seeds bloom in classrooms across Western Sydney.”