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Community Builder: Glen Steyn

Brand South Africa
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June 4th, 2008

Founder: Conquest For Life

Why is Glen a Community Builder?

More than a decade ago, Glen Steyn had a dream to transform the impoverished community in Westbury, Johannesburg from a place of despair to a place where young people have a future.

As an ex-gangster himself, Glen Steyn founded Conquest For Life in 1995 as a tribute to the youth of Westbury, an answer to those troubled kids who fall by the wayside and need a guiding hand to set them on the straight and narrow.

Glen believes that it all starts with the family. An unhealthy or dysfunctional family constellation usually means that the kids will be more susceptible to the “ills of this world”, potentially delving into drugs, gangsterism or petty crime. Conquest For Life addresses these issues from the ground up, offering the youth an alternative to destructive habits or life choices.

In his own words.

“I believe that ‘bad kids’ are not born, they are made, which means they can be remade. As violence, bad manners and gangsterism are learnt; so too can good self-presentation, love and peaceful ways of resolving conflict.”

Fast Facts

Conquest For Life has expanded its Westbury facilities by opening four new branches in other disadvantaged communities, namely, the communities of Soweto, Ennerdale and Orange Farm in Gauteng province and Platfontein in the Northern Cape.
The Organisation won an award from the Gordon Institute of Business Science-University of Pretoria for Social Entrepreneur on the Brink.
Men For Life was established in October 2003 with the goal of working alongside the men in Westbury to create a better environment for themselves, their family and the community.
Glen empowers the youth through programmes designed to produce a safe and structured environment in which the youth can realise their potential and have access to essential life skills.