Mentor out to slash suicide rates this Christmas by helping others
Announcement posted by Pat Mesiti 22 Nov 2016
Gold Coast charity event on 23/11/16 targets $100,000 for She Rescue Home in Cambodia
TO help reduce high depression and suicide rates around Christmas, iconic Australian mindset mentor Pat Mesiti urges Australians to take the focus off themselves and contribute to others.
Tomorrow night (23/11), about one month before Christmas, he is bringing together 100 Australian business people for the 8th annual La Dolce Vita Gala Charity event at Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast with a target to raise $100,000 for the She Rescue Home in Cambodia.
The home in Phnom Penh, founded by Gold Coast couple Mark and Leigh Ramsey in 2008, offers a safe-haven for five to 16 year old girls who have been or are at risk of being trafficked, raped or prostituted.
From being dyslexic and told he would ‘never amount to anything’ by a few teachers from LaSalle Catholic College in Bankstown, Sydney, Mr Mesiti has gone on to publish nine books, translated in 12 languages, and sell 700,000 copies worldwide.
He was raised in an extremely dysfunctional home in Sydney to Italian parents, rife with violence and alcoholism. He has suffered bouts of depression, had suicidal tendencies, divorce, misinformed media scrutiny, public ridicule and almost complete financial loss, yet has gone on to speak onstage before millions of people worldwide alongside the likes of Richard Branson, Donald Trump and Jim Rohn.
He has also raised nearly $1m for charities over the last eight years including the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Day of Difference with Ron and Sophie Delizio, Teen Challenge, Vision Rescue, The A21 Campaign and the Irene Gleeson Foundation.
“The only way I could turn my situation around was to contribute,” Mr Mesiti said.
“There’s never been a monument erected to a taker. The highest form of greatness is what you give to other people - your time, your talent, your treasure. Think about your community this Christmas - what can you do? For example, can you put food packages together?”
Mr Mesiti founded Youth Alive NSW, which attracted about 50,000 teens every year to a free event to help them find purpose and direction in life. He spoke to nearly one million high school students from 1990 to 2001.
As the Director of Teen Challenge NSW, the father of three daughters took it from virtual bankruptcy to help thousands of young Australian men become drug and alcohol free.
On the Gold Coast during Schoolies, he said if he was running for government he would ban Schoolies Week.
“There is no discipline in Australia. We are too lenient on dealers and there is nothing recreational or party about drugs,” he said.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we taught young people to contribute?
“Look at the mess and havoc and tell me if that’s how we want to raise our children?”
In Australia, suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 25, according to a report by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian.
Last year, from November to December 2015, the Mind Charity trust conducted a study into the pressures of Christmas for those with mental health issues. The results founds that more than half of participants (52 per cent) have considered harming themselves at Christmas, while nearly half (45 per cent) have considered taking their own life.
Mr Mesiti has five tips for those feeling the pain over Christmas. 1. Get help, 2. Re-assess what’s important to you. 3. Plug into solid friendships 4. Remove toxic people from your life 5. Realise this is only a chapter in the story of your life.
“If you’re feeling depressed, get out and help someone else. Get your mind off you and on to others. As hard as it is, I think it’s the greatest remedy of all,” he said.
“Life isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about what you give. Money is like manure, if you hoard it, it stinks. If you spread it, it makes stuff grow.
“Contribution has always been about helping others and is a huge part of my life.”
For more information, visit www.mesiti.com. To donate, visit www.itsnotok.com or www.sherescuehome.org
Tomorrow night (23/11), about one month before Christmas, he is bringing together 100 Australian business people for the 8th annual La Dolce Vita Gala Charity event at Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast with a target to raise $100,000 for the She Rescue Home in Cambodia.
The home in Phnom Penh, founded by Gold Coast couple Mark and Leigh Ramsey in 2008, offers a safe-haven for five to 16 year old girls who have been or are at risk of being trafficked, raped or prostituted.
From being dyslexic and told he would ‘never amount to anything’ by a few teachers from LaSalle Catholic College in Bankstown, Sydney, Mr Mesiti has gone on to publish nine books, translated in 12 languages, and sell 700,000 copies worldwide.
He was raised in an extremely dysfunctional home in Sydney to Italian parents, rife with violence and alcoholism. He has suffered bouts of depression, had suicidal tendencies, divorce, misinformed media scrutiny, public ridicule and almost complete financial loss, yet has gone on to speak onstage before millions of people worldwide alongside the likes of Richard Branson, Donald Trump and Jim Rohn.
He has also raised nearly $1m for charities over the last eight years including the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Day of Difference with Ron and Sophie Delizio, Teen Challenge, Vision Rescue, The A21 Campaign and the Irene Gleeson Foundation.
“The only way I could turn my situation around was to contribute,” Mr Mesiti said.
“There’s never been a monument erected to a taker. The highest form of greatness is what you give to other people - your time, your talent, your treasure. Think about your community this Christmas - what can you do? For example, can you put food packages together?”
Mr Mesiti founded Youth Alive NSW, which attracted about 50,000 teens every year to a free event to help them find purpose and direction in life. He spoke to nearly one million high school students from 1990 to 2001.
As the Director of Teen Challenge NSW, the father of three daughters took it from virtual bankruptcy to help thousands of young Australian men become drug and alcohol free.
On the Gold Coast during Schoolies, he said if he was running for government he would ban Schoolies Week.
“There is no discipline in Australia. We are too lenient on dealers and there is nothing recreational or party about drugs,” he said.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we taught young people to contribute?
“Look at the mess and havoc and tell me if that’s how we want to raise our children?”
In Australia, suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 25, according to a report by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian.
Last year, from November to December 2015, the Mind Charity trust conducted a study into the pressures of Christmas for those with mental health issues. The results founds that more than half of participants (52 per cent) have considered harming themselves at Christmas, while nearly half (45 per cent) have considered taking their own life.
Mr Mesiti has five tips for those feeling the pain over Christmas. 1. Get help, 2. Re-assess what’s important to you. 3. Plug into solid friendships 4. Remove toxic people from your life 5. Realise this is only a chapter in the story of your life.
“If you’re feeling depressed, get out and help someone else. Get your mind off you and on to others. As hard as it is, I think it’s the greatest remedy of all,” he said.
“Life isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about what you give. Money is like manure, if you hoard it, it stinks. If you spread it, it makes stuff grow.
“Contribution has always been about helping others and is a huge part of my life.”
For more information, visit www.mesiti.com. To donate, visit www.itsnotok.com or www.sherescuehome.org