Helping youth become the CEOs of their futures
BRAAMFONTEIN - Having grown up in a broken and unstable home, Yaqeen Turton has made it his mission to help shape the lives of underprivileged youth.
“I can’t recall a time in my life when I wasn’t passionate about changing lives and owning a business,” he said.
Turton said he grew up in home plagued by alcohol, drug and physical abuse, with a compulsive gambler and womaniser for a stepfather.
According to Turton, it was after saving his mother when she tried to commit suicide that he decided to break the cycle of negativity that was shaping his life by making a positive difference to the world around him.
Through his experience of growing up on the streets of Johannesburg and suffering personal hardships, he began designing a series of programmes aimed at giving underprivileged young people, like himself, the opportunity to create a better life.
Through dedication, Turton established Shared Wealth Africa in 2008.
The company provides career development and life management and planning to mainly underprivileged young people in Gauteng, the Northern Cape and the Western Cape.
When Turton joined the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in March 2011, he was helping up to 10 underprivileged young people every week, but had no reliable source of income, no professional network and no idea how to move forward.
“To say the Branson Centre helped grow my business is a gross understatement,” added Turton.
After completing the Foundation Course and then the Advanced Course, he won an investment from Virgin Galactic, a small business boost from Microsoft Africa and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pitch to Sir Richard Branson.
Through the incredible power of possibility, Turton’s been able to inspire a new generation of young people.
Today, Shared Wealth Africa is helping 375 underprivileged young people every week.
How do you contribute to the youth in your community? Let us know in the comments below.
