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Daily News, 2 February 2005
Talker...Hugh Evans is a young Australian whose goal in life include motivating youth to be positive about life. PICTURE: Marilyn Bernard Aussie back to motivate young people KUBEN CHETTY A YOUNG motivational speaker from Australia is intent on helping South Africa's rural youth focus on their visions and their goals in life. Hugh Evans, 21, is in Durban to speak to some of the members of the World Changers Academy, an organisation that has members in 20 communities in KwaZulu Natal. So powerful is Evan's motivational drive that he was named Young Australian of the Year and Young Person of the World last year. He even started an organisation called the Oak Tree Foundation two years ago - which now has thousands of members all over the world. The foundation is an entirely youth-run and youth-driven aid and development agency. Even with a heavy schedule of motivational speaking, the young man still manages to juggle degrees in law and science at the University of Monash in Melbourne. Evans is also no stranger to South Africa. Three years ago he lived and worked in the Embo Valley near Hillcrest, where he honed his skills in community development. He believes youth all over the world have potential that needs to be tapped and exposed. "Many young people still don't believe that they can go out there and do whaterver they want to. We are here to say to them that instead of reverting to substance abuse and violence, they can use their knowledge to find different opportunities and be great leaders an make huge differences in their communities." Evans is in the country with eleven other Australians. Together they will also travel to Lesotho before returning to Hillcrest and then, later this month, to Johannesburg. Evans, who dedicated his life to helping others at the age of 12, says he has learnt important lessons in community development during his trips to South Africa. |
