Selina Tomasich is the founder and CEO of Hair Aid Inc., an Australian-based charity that takes volunteer hairdressers to street and slum communities in developing nations to teach those living in critical poverty how to cut hair. Hair Aid assists these families with immediate and measurable results, through the help of caring hairdressers.
Selina believes education is the key to providing opportunities to improve lives. With a passion for finding real-life learning events for students to engage in and create change in the world, and a vision of providing hands-on learning and livelihood empowerment training for people living in critical poverty, Selina started Hair Aid in 2010.
Hair Aid volunteers teach basic hair-cutting skills to individuals living in severe poverty. Their five-day training agenda has empowered over 6,300 individuals, steering them toward a path of self-reliance. Volunteer hairdressers and nail technicians (and other enthusiastic volunteers like teachers) teach individuals residing in jails or living in slums and street communities the beginning skills of haircutting, manicures, and pedicures. Upon mastering these skills, the trainees can start their own micro-business, immediately generating income to sustain themselves and their families. Hair Aid also provides each trainee with either a scissor or manicure toolkit (based on the skill they acquired), enabling them to commence earning instantly with their newfound skills. Selina manages these complex international projects and, with her husband Mark, provides encouragement and ensures that every volunteer is supported.
As a Queensland-based academic lecturing in Business at the University of Queensland as well as at Queensland University of Technology, Selina describes herself as a “dedicated nerd” with a passion for learning. She holds five university qualifications as well as an international inventors’ patent for creating online technology. She has created eight apps, written academic books, and been published in peer-reviewed journals.
While many people congratulate Selina on the way Hair Aid has grown under her watch, she always recognizes the Hair Aid Ambassadors, the Hair Aid board, and the thousands of supporters who provide knowledge, resources, time, and dedication to the Hair Aid vision of #changingtheworldonehaircutatatime.
Interviewed by Winn Claybaugh, Selina shares firsthand, difficult-to-hear stories of children and families in developing nations. She shares how truly simple it is to make a difference and challenges us to imagine the shift in energy we could create.
RELATED LINKS
Website: https://hairaid.org.au
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HairAidCharity