Studying Indonesian and competing in a demanding sport set a strong backbone for a young Australian social entrepreneur who is on a  mission to promote language learning in high school. It's a skill that opens up a world of opportunities, he says.

By MARLENE MILLOTT

Ninety percent of year 7 students study a second language at high school. By year 10, this  has dropped to 16 per cent. When those same students reach year 12, only 7 per cent are learning a second language at school.

A 21-year-old commerce graduate is planning to change that.

Heath Jamieson is a social entrepreneur and founder of The Language Barrier, a not-for-profit organisation that is trying to increase the number of students studying languages and help create a more multilingual Australia.

The organisation launched earlier this year, and works by connecting high school students with young Australians who are experiencing the benefits of bilingualism. By engaging students through school visits and blog posts, it hopes to provide real-life examples of the doors that can open to people who can converse in more than one language.

Jamieson knows the benefits that can come not only from second language skills, but from hard work and putting yourself out there. He is ambitious, enthusiastic and not afraid of taking a chance.

In between studying a Bachelor of Commerce and a Diploma of Languages in Indonesian, Jamieson spent his time at Melbourne University jetting around the world on conferences and exchange programs.

“I learned quickly that if you put in an application you’ve got a shot at getting it,” Jamieson explains, sitting in the office space he won last year after entering a start-up competition.

In 2012 Jamieson found himself at the Global Voices Youth Delegation with the G20 Summit in Washington DC. Three blocks away from the World Bank headquarters, then 19-year-old Jamieson couldn’t believe the calibre of people he was meeting.

“I got over there and was absolutely bombarded with people who had done amazing things,” he says.

“Probably the most important was this guy John Loughton. At the age of 26 he’d already met 13 heads of state and the Queen three times, and won [TV reality show] Big Brother, and I was debating with him.

“I came back really motivated.”

It seems Jamieson has always had the drive to make things happen.

Outside work and study, Jamieson is an avid mountain biker. In 2012 he was selected to represent Australia in the World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships held in Hungary.

Gruelling training sessions during his teenage years, including riding up and down Mt Macedon at night in the rain, contributed the strong work ethic he has today.

“I seriously think (sport) teaches you discipline; I think it teaches you determination. It teaches you when you’re young that you have to try hard, and sometimes take hits to do great things.”

Starting his own non-for-profit has been just one of those “great things”. Coming from an Indonesian studies background, Jamieson is also heavily involved with the Australia-Indonesia relationship.

He is the finance officer for the Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth, part of the most recent delegation of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program and the former treasurer of the Victorian chapter of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association.

Languages key to future prospects

Jamieson has just finished an internship at Vela Asia in Jakarta, and is about to start interviews for management consultant positions at multinational organisations across South-East Asia. He looks to Indonesia as the future of his career, and credits a language background for playing a strong part in that.

“At Melbourne Uni there were seven people in my final year Indonesian class. Only one of them was a commerce student, and that was me,” Jamieson says.

“Suddenly I realised I’ve got quite a niche skill set that’s going to be important to Australia.”

As The Language Barrier grows, Jamieson hopes more students will understand the value and fulfilment a language can add to their career.

The organisation has just recruited nine writers across the world and hopes that in the next 12 months, tens of thousands of students across Australia will be learning from stories written by people not so different from themselves.

So what other advice does Jamieson have for those looking to make their mark on the world?

“You’ve always got to be the dumbest guy in the room. Otherwise, you’re not learning.”