Youth Crime Prevention Veteran Mentors on Today

August 29, 2012. That date's burned into my mind. Lost three mates in Afghanistan that day. Never thought those moments would shape how I'd end up tackling youth crime in Australia. But here's the thing - watching your brothers die, then breaking your neck in a surfing accident while dealing with PTSD... it changes how you view adversity.

We're killing our kids with kindness. Wrapping them in cotton wool, thinking we're protecting them. What a joke. All we're doing is stopping them from developing the mental strength they need to face life's challenges.

You want to know what's really destroying our youth? Tech addiction. It's not just about screen time - it's about teenagers desperately seeking validation from other broken kids. A cesspit of despair and misery, that's what social media's created. These kids are locked in their rooms, being raised by influencers instead of their families.

In 2020, three years into running Veteran Mentors, I realized something huge. We were the only ones actually getting results. Not just with the kids - with the whole family unit. Everyone else was just ticking boxes.

Traditional therapy? It's failing these kids. They don't need more talking. They need tough love, challenge, adversity. My mentors? They've all overcome extreme hardship. They know what it takes.

Every three months, I get a snapshot of society. Nine days, 18 hours per day with kids from all walks of life. 3,500 families over seven years. That's not just statistics - that's real lives changed.

The transformations are incredible. Parents tell me their kid hugged them so hard it felt like meeting a different person. Brings tears to my eyes every time. And I'm not ashamed to admit that.

Schools are part of the problem. Suspension isn't punishment anymore - it's a badge of honor. Teachers are using it as an escape hatch. No one's teaching these kids about patriotism, about values.

Think about this. It costs taxpayers a million dollars a year to keep one kid in detention. My program? Six grand. But the system's stuck in its ways, throwing pills at problems instead of solving them.

Senator Lambie gets it. She spent nine days as one of my mentors. Saw firsthand how bad the social media situation is. Went straight to the Prime Minister. Ten months later? Australia announces world's first social media ban for under-16s. Been pushing for that for three years.

We're creating a community, not just running a program. Group chats, constant connection with families, one-on-one mentoring. The parents and kids train together, rebuild trust together. Draw a line in the sand and start fresh.

Most important thing I've learned? There are no bad kids. Only negative learned behaviors. And a system that's too quick to medicate instead of educate.

The mainstream mental health system's actually starting to take notice. They're referring kids to us now. Even the skeptical parents - the ones who've spent thousands on failed treatments - they see the difference within days.

This isn't just about preventing youth crime. It's about saving a generation that's losing its way. And sometimes the toughest love is the kindest thing we can offer.