Australian Online Hairdressing Entrepreneur & Students Lead A New Wave Of Unusual Charity Projects

BUDERIM, Australia - June 10, 2013 - PRLog -- Australian Online Hairdressing Entrepreneur & Students Lead A New Wave Of Unusual Charity Projects

As Australia’s biggest Hair Expo finishes for another year, Bernie Craven boycotts the expo for a bigger cause.

“Hair Expo is a fantastic event for any hairdresser to attend. But this year, I wanted to concentrate my energies on a project that can make a difference on a global rather than national scale.” No longer is charity limited to throwing money at a problem, particularly when it comes to supporting youth with life skills. “Sure money can be used to build centres or run a soup kitchen for a couple of months, but that doesn’t solve the root of the problem. You need to teach young people, particularly in impoverished nations, to help themselves,” says Bernie Craven, Online Hairdressing Training Entrepreneur and Organic Hair Salon owner.

“So much money is being thrown into traditional charity projects, but I didn’t want my money to just disappear into that giant pit,” says Bernie. “I wanted, like many other people I know, to see the difference actually being made, to see where the aid was going. Then last year I saw an article about a group out at University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) sourcing sponsorship and in-kind support to implement hairdressing training in Manila in the Philippines. This was it! This was how it should be done, by supporting youth with skills for life and mentoring.”

So Bernie, a hairdressing training professional for over 20 years, joined forces with Enactus USC students to aid the Kuya Centre for Street Kids in Manila, in this revolutionary way. The purpose of the centre is to provide shelter for children abandoned in poverty, with the hope of reuniting these children with their families and then helping the poverty stricken families create income and become sustainable through programmes like sewing training, and now hairdressing. In July, the students and Bernie will go to Quezon City, Manila, where the excited team are able to use their professional skills to make a difference in less fortunate lives.

“If you want to start a different kind of project there are several things you need to consider. People don’t just want to donate money; they also want to donate materials.” In Manila, Bernie and the USC students will be working with at least 20 students, so they needed scissors, combs, capes, water sprays, freight costs and more.

“The internet is the key to drumming up support,” says Craven, who two years ago sold his bricks & mortar salon in Caloundra, to develop Aussie Hair Guru, an online training website for hairdressers. “Back in 2011 I saw just where business and charity had to go. Online! The basic premise for Aussie Hair Guru was to make training accessible via the internet to anyone who loves hair worldwide. No one has infinite pockets, but training is vital to being able to make a living. That’s what I’m about with Aussie Hair Guru, and that’s what I’m about with this project. ”

Bernie used industry Facebook pages, blog sites, and called on a few connections, and the big-hearted hairdressing industry responded, helping the team procure all the hairdressing equipment needed. “When you do things differently, it is amazing how people respond. Giving people something tangible to donate to is what’s needed in the crowded charity sector. Picking which cause to give your money to is hard, that’s why we make it easy by showing exactly where the money is going. We’ll be posting photographs and videos during and after the project’s completion.”

However, more help is needed and there’s still plenty of fundraising to do, the Kuya Collaborative is completely not-for-profit and relies on support of local, national and international communities. Bernie will be donating 50% of the sales from hairdresser memberships at his website http://www.aussiehairguru.com until the 6th July and $50 per new client at his new Boutique Organic salon on the Sunshine Coast http://www.aussiehairgurusalons.com.au, allowing people to receive something of value and be a part of a great cause at the same time. For more information about Kuya Collaborative fundraising events go to http://facebook.com/kuyacollaborative or kuya@enactususc.org .