(my 2(x)istence) | 2(x)ist PORTRAITS: Rob Trinh
2(x)ist PORTRAITS is an intimate look inside the lives of our brandfans and how they 2(x)ist. Today, 2(x)istence‘s own Jay V. del Rosario and contributing photographer Ronald NZ Tan meet Rob Trinh, who proves the voice is mightier than the fist in his crusade to end youth violence and bullying.
Rob Trinh certainly wears many hats throughout the day. The busy model-dancer-writer-entrepreneur is not short on hyphenates, but it’s one role in which the Los Angeles-based Mr. Trinh readily dives head first: Philanthropist.
The 24-year-old Trinh runs the The Play 4 Phil Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping area children. Through the group’s works, underprivileged kids attend sports camps to help build confidence and foster responsibility. Additionally, Play 4 Phil endows scholarships for students interested in criminal justice studies.
“My brother Tony and I started this for my cousin Phil who was an innocent victim of street gang violence,” he says of the genesis of P4P. To date, the brothers have raised considerable funds through various (and often entertaining) methods, including a charity fashion show called “Rock the Hemline” in their native Vancouver and pick-up basketball tournaments within the community.
And despite all the time Rob devotes to Play 4 Phil, the industrious Californian created another charitable program … but this time he looked to his own adolescent experience.
“I also have a campaign called Stop The Silence, Have a Voice Against Violence where I do speaking engagements in high schools, ” he says. “I talk about my personal experience with being bullied in high school and promoting teens to stand up and be role models versus remaining silent when they witness bullying and violence.”
Rob calls the recent media attention on the issue both “negative and positive,” but with other high-profile programs like the It Gets Better Project plus his own workshops, Rob only sees the greater good of raising awareness to the continued self-harm and unfortunate suicides caused by youth bullying.
“Unfortunately these people don’t have role models or people close to them that are speaking up about it to help in dire times of need, ” he says. “We need to create a sense of urgency … which is what my campaign is all about: Speaking up and doing something about it!”
Hats off for a man who puts action to his words.
To learn more about the charities listed above, explore Play 4 Phil and Stop The Silence. In his 2(x)ist PORTRAIT by Ronald NZ Tan, Rob Trinh wears the NEON Sport Brief in Black, available now at shop.2xist.com.
[PORTRAIT: Ronald NZ Tan (ronaldnztan.com) | WORDS: Jay V. del Rosario]
