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There's a buzz around this hair salon, and it’s about more than braids and fades
A school in Sydney's southwest has opened a hair salon in a classroom to help at-risk students steer away from unemployment and crime. More than a dozen teenagers who are now working professionally say they've been granted a future they never thought was possible.
Published 27 August 2023 6:33am
By Rayane Tamer
Source: SBS News
Image: Selena says her confidence has been boosted since she started braiding hair for her peers. (SBS News)
Demand is hot during the week at a hair salon in Sydney's southwest. The shop's only just opened for the day, and a queue has formed outside the door. Teenagers are waiting patiently for their free braid or haircut.
Inside, a speaker playing old-school hip-hop music competes with the vibration of several razors working overtime for clients sitting on the three chairs set up in the small room.
Among local sports emblems and retro paintings, a large mural of Martin Luther King overlooks the salon. It's unmissable wherever you look, as its reflection is caught by the wall-to-wall mirror in the room. Painted fittingly underneath are the words: 'I have a dream'.
Built inside a classroom, it's the last place you'd expect a hair salon - but this is a typical Wednesday morning for Bass High School students.
It's part of a 10-week program specially designed for those who are often absent or suspended, at risk of breaking the law, or are uninterested in graduating from school.
Young Bass High students are braiding and cutting hair as part of a 10-week program with the aim of re-engaging students in their education. Source: SBS News
"Some of our students have experienced complexities relating to violence, displacement [and] economic disadvantage, which often implicates their educational journey," Mona tells SBS News.
"We try to reinforce the importance of education and try to create relevance in the barbering and braiding programs."
To stay in the program, students have to stay away from suspensions, show manners and come to class on time - and those conditions are working a charm.
One of the students, Ali Noun, admits sheepishly that his "behaviour wasn't all that" prior to entering the salon. But he says after sticking to the rules, he's noticed a transformation in his character that he and his family are proud of.
"Before the program ... I had no plan in life. But after the program, I felt like a hobby and wanted to properly study," he says.
Overseeing the shop is Charles Lomu, who mentors the dozens of students aged between 14 and 17. He's demonstrating how to shave a student's hair to two others, who are donning aprons and intently watching their facilitator's execution.
Charles Lomu teaches students how to cut hair, but he says the program is more than just about fades and braids. Source: SBS News
"It's built a lot of confidence in [the students] because they realise they do have the ability to learn new things and become knowledgeable ... so it's changed the way they approach coming to school," he says.
"It's more about learning art skills through the art of barbering."
Denzell Ropiha - or DenzaBlendz as he's now nicknamed - thought he might have a chance at playing professional rugby league when he grew older. Now, he's one of the most popular barbers in the shop.
"When I'm cutting hair, I can talk with [my mates], just asking them how their day was. It's just a good environment all around," he says.
Denzell Ropiha is cutting his classmates' hair at school as part of a program aimed at teaching students job and life skills. Source: SBS News / Rayane Tamer
School principal Martin Toaetolu says while he knew there would be interest in the salon, he was blown away by the popularity it's garnered.
"Some of these students haven't touched clippers before, they certainly didn't have a knowledge of hairdressing or barbering. Being able to see them engage with purpose and relevance has made such a big difference," he says.
Now, 17 students have received apprenticeships after completing the program. Three of those have left school to start their careers early as full-time barbers.
One of them is 16-year-old Angelo Rodi, who was invited to the program when he was a Bass High student.
Angelo Rodi, 16, now works as a full-time barber after completing Bass High School's hair salon program. Source: SBS News
Angelo says when he saw the opportunity to make a life for himself through the program, he took it, and "really felt a connection to barbering".
"The opportunities [are] always there in your life and it's just up to me to take them. I've been sick of being that old version of myself, trying to impress others, and started actually doing things for myself."
Bass High School is proud of what they've achieved, but they're not done yet. While a commercial cafe is already operating on school grounds, their next aim is to build an auto shed too.
Where many of these students feel like the outside world is against them, within the four walls of this unassuming salon, anything is possible.
