One-time refugee relishes opportunity to contribute to humanity by using his own training institute to educate young minds
David Chiem has come a long way since arriving in Australia as a nine-year old unable to speak a single word of English - not even 'hello'. The actor-turned-entrepreneur has since published three books and is founder, chairman, chief executive and principal of MindChamps, a training institute that provides students with the tools and the will to learn.
Despite enormous success, Mr Chiem continues to view his work more as a vocation than as a career. When his family were fleeing Vietnam as refugees, his father kept telling him that for every one of them who made it, there was someone else who lost their life. 'I saw that as a kind of rebirth for myself,' he said. 'I got this extra chance, this opportunity to contribute to humanity. Eventually I realised that I wanted to do it through educating young minds.'
Mr Chiem stressed that too often, academic institutions instructed students on 'what to learn' and neglected to coach them on 'how to learn'. He pointed out that students' minds were bombarded with so much external stimuli that they were unable to stay engaged in their studies.
'We must look at a child's mind the same way we would look at a new, sophisticated computer,' he said. 'If we continue programming it with out-of-date software, there is no way that the computer can effectively process the information, much less function at its optimal level.'
His aim is to upgrade the way students think worldwide through 'the craft of engaging people's minds' and using the stimulation the art of theatre provides.