27/06/2020
Not that he needs any introduction, but...
Meet the franchise holder of the Mr. Guyana International pageant, Mr. Paul Compton Burnette.
Hailing from the Gateway of the interior some 46 years ago, Paul Compton Burnette dedicates his life and time mentoring young people through the sharing of his personal story and how he survived it all, with the hope that it helps with the reduction of su***de amongst youths. Utilizing every opportunity to visit schools and share his life’s experiences with students, Mr. Burnette tries his best to encourage them to stay in school and to ensure that they graduate successfully with the main focus of making a positive mark in our society.
In an interview Mr. Burnette noted "Growing up wasn’t easy for me, as I was sexually abused from the age of four by my neighbour’s seventeen year old son until I was fifteen years old," with tears in his eyes he continued, "This sinister act caused me a lot of pain and humiliation and had probably opened the door for many other rapists to continue the act at every possible opportunity they had." It is experiences like these which caused Mr. Burnette to develop the view that the society is a cruel one which contributed significantly to him attempting to committ su***de, as he felt worthless. Mr. Burnette continues "....but as God would have it, my mess was to be a message for all [so] I started my Mr. Guyana International project.
The Mr. Guyana Project does not only see young men competing in harsh competition, but it also brings them closer to each other like brothers and even sees a few of them taking stock of their life. It is out belief that ‘Only hurt people hurt people’ and because of that we encourage our fellow brothers whenever we can to do what’s right, and that’s to speak out when they are hurting.