Warren Theunis is a barber from Cape Town whose passion for his craft extends far beyond the barber chair. Through his project, Groomed for Change, and his involvement with the Barber Association, Warren is making a profound impact on the community, embarking on a mission to empower young people by training them in basic barbering skills and providing them with the tools they need to pursue their dreams.
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Warren Theunis, originally from Mitchells Plain, has been working in the barbering industry for over 21 years and is the founder of Groomed for Change. As part of his efforts to inspire positive behaviour and show seniors that they are not forgotten, Theunis is also a founding member of the Barber Association.
According to IOL, Theunis and his team normally travel across the Western Cape during Heart FM’s 16 Days for Youth initiative, offering haircuts to various communities. Every day, they visit a new location, providing a genuine barbering experience that many individuals cannot afford.
Last year, Theunis performed an impressive 547 haircuts during the initiative. However, when he was preparing for another trip, the team approached him with a request for something different.
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‘The moment I heard about this I went home and started thinking about how I could leave a legacy,’ Theunis told IOL. ‘I proposed that I would train and equip young people to do basic barbering and use the trade to build the resources they need for their dreams.’
Theunis described the toolkit as a ‘barbershop in a bag.’ During a visit to the Realistic Child and Youth Centre in Crawford, Cape Town, he noticed an opportunity to engage with the boys living there.
‘I looked at the set-up at the children’s home. I want to give the boys a haircut and find out who is interested in barbering. I found two boys. In fact, they had been cutting the hair of the other boys at the centre. They told me they usually just cut into the room,’ Theunis explained.
Theunis approached the centre’s management and requested a specific area where the boys could hone their skills in response to their enthusiasm.
Given a space between the laundry room and a storage area, Theunis decided to clean it up and convert it into a functioning barbershop. Even as he continued his travels to other communities, he couldn’t stop thinking about the children’s home. Determined to support the boys further, he embarked on a mission to build a barbershop specifically for them. Although he had no budget, he remained committed to the idea, ensuring it would be functional, not extravagant.
Over a weekend, Theunis and his daughter went to a hardware store and created a wish list for the barbershop. With determination, they cleared the space and involved the boys in the process. The boys helped sand down walls and marked out areas with masking tape.
‘I worked when they were in school. I reached out to a friend who works with aluminium and wanted to have a suspended lighting system. But I told him I had no money, and he did it. I started buying the lights,’ Theunis said.
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They made the most of what they had, refurbishing a shelf and building a bench and coat hanger. They even crafted a sign from scavenged materials found on the premises.
Theunis not only transformed the physical space but also taught the boys proper barbering techniques. Together, they embarked on a DIY project, turning an empty space into a fully functional barbershop. The boys, even those who were initially uninterested in barbering, embraced the opportunity and put their hearts into it.
As the barbershop took shape, the boys became increasingly excited about the prospect of opening their own shop. However, one crucial item was missing – a barber’s chair. During a radio interview with Wahl, a company specialising in barbering tools, Theunis mentioned their need for a chair. To his surprise, they expressed interest in helping. A representative from BR Catering and Events visited the barbershop, initially offering a chair that didn’t quite meet their requirements. However, on the same day, he returned with a brand new barber’s chair, saving the day. Theunis couldn’t believe how everything fell into place.
He reflected on the experience, telling IOL that, ‘In that moment, I was like, “what just happened?” It’s ridiculous how this came together.’
As some of the boys prepare to leave the children’s home, Theunis remains dedicated to checking in on them and training others who may show interest. Additionally, he has suggested that the home’s administration plan an open day for the general public to showcase the boys’ amazing work.
The barbershop now features an asymmetrical mirror, and many people, including celebrities and radio personalities, have signed the wall with messages of hope.
Theunis has already identified three other areas – Athlone, Strandfontein and Parkwood – where he envisions building barbershops as a means of supporting the community.
‘I feel the barber can be used to attract not only people but as a means of sustaining, for example, the soup kitchen by perhaps just using the money coming in for electricity,’ he said.
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Picture: Warren Theunis / Facebook