Awards & Recognition
Daydream Machine Manager, Eloise, won the Chief Minister’s Inclusion Award for Excellence in Innovation and Impact, recognising her leadership and commitment to advancing inclusion for people with disability across the ACT community. As Manager of Daydream Machine, Eloise led and coordinated a team of over 10 staff, many of whom are neurodivergent, while fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace culture. Alongside her management role, she personally tutored neurodivergent students in mathematics, mentored young people beyond her formal responsibilities, and supported families to better understand and celebrate their children’s strengths.
Luke Ferguson, a teacher at The Woden School in Canberra, empowered students with disabilities to build independence, confidence, and community connection through inclusive creative programs. In 2019, he founded Party Down Productions, a school-wide music initiative that engaged students in event planning, design, and performance, including DJing and creating promotional materials.
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Working alongside students, Luke co-wrote and produced the music video “Labels Don’t Define Us,” which celebrated diversity, gained over 120,000 views, and was shared by the United Nations. This work broke down stigma, highlighted the abilities of young people with disability, and ultimately led to Luke opening his business, Daydream Machine.
Daydream Machine was highly commended at the 2022 YOGIE Awards in recognition of the impact and outcomes achieved by its participants. The award acknowledged the program’s student-led approach, where young neurodivergent people developed specialised skills aligned with their interests, collaborated on real-world projects, and showcased their work through public performances, exhibitions, and media engagement. Judges noted the strong community impact of these achievements, including national and international collaborations, award-winning student outcomes, and paid creative opportunities, highlighting the meaningful inclusion, confidence-building, and stigma reduction created through the program.
Luke Ferguson jointly won the Excellence in Support Work award at the 2019 Chief Minister’s Inclusion Awards, recognising his outstanding dedication to empowering young people with disability to build independence, belonging, and achieve meaningful goals. As Youth Support Worker at The Woden School, Luke established and led Party Down Productions, a school-wide music program that involved students in every stage of event planning, including graphic design, playlist curation, technical setup, pack-down, and performing as DJs.
He also supported the Student Representative Council and worked closely with staff to plan and deliver whole-school fundraisers and community events such as WodenStock, Harmony Day, NAIDOC Day, Reconciliation & National Sorry Day, R U OK? Day, and the White Ribbon Cup. The judging panel recognised Luke’s ability to create lasting, system-wide change that positively impacted the entire school community.