The Daniel Project as an idea was conceived in a café in Albany, Western Australia, back in 2019. Dr Damon Sokolowski and Pastor Phil Beeck were brainstorming ways to develop, disciple and prepare young people for entering the university and work world. How to best equip particularly middle to upper high school students to not just survive post-school life in our modern-day Babylons, but to actually flourish and influence the world for good?

Origins and development

Two programs were born out of that café discussion. The first, called  The Core Project, was launched in 2020 and is aimed at Year 10-12 students as a sort of Christianity 101 course. It is useful as both a discipleship and evangelistic program. It covers a Bible overview, key Christian beliefs, how following Jesus looks, and what it means to be on mission.

The second program to be born was The Daniel Project. Why Daniel? Because Daniel is the faithful exile par excellence. He is one of only a handful of people in the Bible who, apart from Jesus, had no recorded downfall.

Abraham hooked up with Hagar, Moses in anger struck the rock twice, David committed adultery with Bathsheba and tyrannically had her husband killed, Peter denied Christ… and so on. That is to say, they were humans like the rest of us.

Daniel was certainly human, but the Bible records no downfall. He is an archetypal figure of faith and leader who, like Jesus, would resist the trappings of power and the alluring temptations of empire to be faithful to his God even to the point of death.

We wanted to develop a program which would be part of the story for encouraging young men and women to be faithful to God, flourish in leadership, and influence the world for good, wherever God has placed them.

Early implementation

In 2020 (yep, that 2020), The Daniel Project had its first iteration with three students in Albany. The program was initially coupled with a Certificate III in Christian Ministry and Theology and run through the Great Southern Training Hub (a ministry of Albany Baptist Church). Pastor Jordan Diaz and Dr Sokolowsky developed the program and for those three students, it was great! However, there was not enough  demand in the region to make it viable and it was shelved for the time being.

Revitalisation and expansion

Dr Sokolowski collaborated with Stephen Hurworth, the founder of St Augustine’s Classical Christian College and one of the earliest proponents of classical Christian education in Western Australia. Together, they led a working group considering how to develop a liberal arts type program in conjunction with a nationally recognised Certificate IV. They wanted the program to integrate literature, history, philosophy and theology, with practical study, research and life skills embedded throughout. The goal was to introduce students to some of the most influential thinkers, ideas, events and writings from the key epochs of Western civilisation in conjunction with key skills to equip and develop the leaders of tomorrow.

Program structure and partnerships

The Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation was chosen for its suitable structure and unit spread, allowing for the integration of a liberal arts-based curriculum.  Pragmatically, it also had a name and would equip with the skills which made sense to most students and parents: to be prepared for higher education.

Eastern College Australia, which is both a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and a Higher Education Provider (HEP), and which operates in conjunction with Melbourne School of Theology, agreed to bring the course onto its scope and invest into its development.

In 2022, the concept was tested with stakeholders in Christian schooling, homeschooling and university sectors, who agreed that this program was needed. By 2023, on a shoestring budget with great passion, vision and experience from Damon, Stephen and later Aimee Sargent, the course was developed. It was promoted through key networks a 2024 pilot launch.

Launch and growth

In January 2024, the first classes began with a pilot group, partnering with The Classical School in Mt Lawley to utilise St Patrick’s Anglican Church’s beautiful facilities to run face-to-face classes with our Year 11 and 12 students. Due to high demand, the program was also offered online, attracting students from Brisbane and even an adult learner with a PhD who wanted to deepen their understanding of Western history and thought.

In 2025 the online mode will be expanded and further partnerships with Christian schools and home school groups will be utilised to be able to offer The Daniel Project to more students.

The broad appeal of classics

What has been most interesting is that wherever The Daniel Project has been promoted, there has been strong interest from adult learners. Whether existing teachers who want to do the program for their own professional and worldview development, or home schooling parents who want to upskill as they teach their own children, or others who are simply interested in learning the content for its own sake, The Daniel Project provides a compelling program for personal and professional growth all while introducing students to the ‘indigenous culture’ of the West.