Hold Yourself Well. This is the driving philosophy beneath Everything Suarve Inc or ESuarve for short, and something this charity founder Joseph Te Puni-Fromont learned the hard way, In Queensland reports.
“That’s what we teach the young guys that no matter what, you have to hold yourself well and have enough strength to walk away from peer pressure,” he said.
The Ormeau based not-for-profit helps disengaged youth, many of whom have been referred by the police or courts, through a 10-week Big Brother Program.
And Te Puni-Fromont operates from vast personal experience having lost several friends to suicide, drugs and alcohol from a young age.
By 15, he was expelled from school, at 16 he was caught drug dealing by his police office father and at 20 he moved from New Zealand with $400 to his name and no family and friends in Australia.
Te Puni-Fromont said his turning point was when his sister and brother-in-law sent him to a one-day men’s group aimed at teaching males how to deal with emotions.
“I started doing multiple programs, learning different things about myself and how to be more grateful,” he said.
Te Puni-Fromont started the not-for-profit in March 2020 with a $25,000 loan from friends to support eight at-risk youths. Ten weeks later those eight youths were working in construction and are still in contact today.
The program spiralled and since opening, has helped 142 young people – aged between 15 and 26 – 90 per cent of whom are male. Of those, 31 were identified as high risk of heading into juvenile detention. Only one has re-offended.
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The charity celebrating a 90 per cent success rate and slashing youth crime (In Queensland)
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