Ara Taiohi

DO GOOD FEEL GOOD | TE ORA HOU WHANGĀREI | LOGOS | YOUNG VINNIES | SPRINGBOARD

DO GOOD FEEL GOOD

Chillion Sanerivi

Who does your programme/service serve?
Our social change movements service Pacific and South Auckland communities. My particular focus is young people and we have a variety of offerings. Do Good Feel Good – youth movement where young people are leading change locally on issues they are most passionate about. We now have Interfaith Collective to support and uphold spiritual wellbeing and how important this is for many Pacific young people. This is led by young people from all different denominations of churches. 

What are the new/unique needs of young people you are encountering through the rahui?
There is a greater appreciation of connection with young people and how important it is to be ‘with’ people. We’ve always known this, and we have done our best to stay connected however, there are still challenges. Through this rahui, it was important to balance the COVID 19/Vaccination key messages with young people still being able to create their own spaces online. Many of the young people continue to multitask in their homes. Some are studying, working part time to support their parents in these uncertain times. Some of them are the eldest in their homes so they take leadership in supporting their younger siblings. 

What are the innovations you have undertaken to meet the needs of young people?
We are doing our best to create new online experiences where young people are able to participate. An example, our leaders have been planning their Creative Slams in the community. This is about activating unactivated spaces where neighbourhoods wouldn’t normally get the chance to access creative experiences. Because of lockdown, we’ve had to pivot to online creating the Creative Labb. Here is the blurb: Yes! @southsiders.co and @dgfgnz bring you THE CREATIVES LABB ? There are 2 parts to our experience ✌️ Part 1: an Instagram live with some of SA’s finest entertainers @dgfgnz Instagram ? Part 2: A zoom engagement with some of your favorite creatives (use the registration link to get zoom link) ? It’s free, it’s fresh and it’s gonna be a whole lotta fun ? It is led by young people and it is OPEN TO ALL!!! What’s the difference this makes for the young people you serve?Presenting to you a unique INTERACTIVE ONLINE CREATIVE EXPERIENCE ?

How can the rest of the Aotearoa support those in lockdown?
During lockdown, we are limited to access and experience things that we normally love to enjoy. For many of our young people it’s the social aspect as it’s an important part of their development and wellbeing. This is where our creativity and innovation needs to kick in to explore and try things out of the box. If there are online platforms that many of us use, push the limits on what you can do with these platforms with it’s features, options, engagement etc to create an experience that young people can really identify with so they can exchange that positive energy. 

TE ORA HOU WHANGĀREI

Aleshia Baker

Who does your programme/service serve?
13-24 year old wahine ataahua.

What are the new/unique needs of young people you are encountering through the rahui? 

What are the innovations you have undertaken to meet the needs of young people?
We rang, we messaged, we set up ‘zlubs’ (online club nights), we did live shows, we set up online platforms to help with education & general hangout spaces (maths was funny, 3 of us with 1 YP doing algebra. lol). Then Te Ora Hou Whangārei (the boss org I mahi 4) did Kapai Kai packs so then we got to H.V!! & now we are K2K weekly running club again wearing our COVID lens.

What’s the difference this makes for the young people you serve?
All of the above helps a young person knw: They “see me, care about me, hear me because I matter”.

How can the rest of the Aotearoa support those in lockdown?
We know lockdown has been hard & we can acknowledge that with YP & whanau, reaching out, pursuing & being a hoha means we care – we are all in this waka together. None of us really know what to do, a phone call, a Zoom & a kind message or a home visit [levels depending] for a cup of tea says alot.
Reach out, pursue & be a hoha! Let people know you care!

LOGOS AUCKLAND MARIST YOUTH TRUST

Laura Mclellan

Who does your programme/service serve?
Within our community we journey alongside many groups of rangatahi and young adults from 12 to 25 years old. During lockdown we have been focused on high school age students and how we can best support them.

What are the new/unique needs of young people you are encountering through the rahui? 
A lot of young people are finding rahui very difficult as they feel stuck or bored at home. They often turn to gaming or social media to fill the space and this can be isolating. A lot of young people have expressed they are finding it hard to stay motivated with school, they miss their friends and they don’t know what to do with all their time.

What are the innovations you have undertaken to meet the needs of young people?
Knowing that the online space is somewhere our young people feel comfortable and is accessible to most we quickly turned our focus to connecting with them through social media and zoom.

• Every day we host “Fun Time” with our young people over zoom where we catch up, meet new friends, have a laugh and play a game together. We’ve had a massive range of games from Pictionary, Charades, Scavenger hunts, Quizzes and so much more. 
• We have also been  creating content on our social media platforms everyday to engage in- Morning Reflections and Prayers as well as interactive check-ins. We have created a segment where young people create a video to share their story and some of their journey, a place to speak their truth and share it with others.
• Lastly we have been facilitating Wellbeing sessions with Year 7 & 8 students where we unpack their thoughts and emotions around this time of rahui through some fun and engaging activities on zoom. These sessions are placed in between their other online classes to give them a space to explore their wellbeing a little further and check in with each other too.

What’s the difference this makes for the young people you serve?
We love hearing how our interactions online can be the highlight of our young people’s day as they feel they don’t have much to look forward to during lockdown. We have built a strong online community that can support each other not only through rahui but also in the future when we will be able to meet up kanohi ki te kanohi. A consistent held space to laugh, reflect, connect and be accepted is what we want to provide for our young people in this very different time we are facing.

How can the rest of the Aotearoa support those in lockdown?
Check in on your young people, have fun with them and continue to nourish their own hope for the future! 

YOUNG VINNIES AUCKLAND

Kevin Lio

Who does your programme/service serve?
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies) serves those in our community that are disadvantaged and marginalised. We serve our community through our food bank and youth program. We pride ourselves on the genuine interactions that we have with our community which we carry out with dignity and love. Our free youth program caters to 16 Secondary Schools across Auckland with the aim to spread awareness of current social issues such as homelessness, food insecurity and social exclusion. We also provide a space for youth to volunteer their free time to serve in the community through the foodbank, cooking for families in need, spending time in rest homes and helping in our Op-shops throughout Auckland.

What are the new/unique needs of young people you are encountering through the rahui?
Many young people have voiced their thoughts about needing patience and understanding from others to understand their circumstances. Some have spoken about the constant pressure and workload that they experience during rahui. This has increased feelings of overwhelm, powerlessness and frustration. The source of this pressure is complex to navigate as each person has different lived experiences and circumstances.

The need to speak up and feel heard by young people has lead to an opportunity where two Vinnies leaders spoke on
Radio New Zealand to Jessie Mulligan.

They advocated for the youth voice to be heard and recognised. They identified the issues that they and their peers had encountered during lockdown.  They expressed concern about the decisions regarding their education that did not survey how they felt nor did it take into account the realities of rahui for young. This rahui has helped to develop advocacy skills in young people and seeking opportunities to be listened to.

Other thoughts from Vinnies young people:

• Needing to assess the increasing workload in school and at home with some young people having to work or take over childcare while their parents worked
• Needing others to recognise the different socio-economic needs of families means limited ability to continue appropriate school work
• Needing urgent recognition of the decline in youth mental health and feeling grief and loss isolated from peers and classroom environment in rāhui (missing graduations, ball)
• Needing to be understood around the grief of not being with their social circles, friends as socialisation with peers is a pivotal part of adolescence

What are the innovations you have undertaken to meet the needs of young people?
Vinnies youth team operate their program online with a virtual village platform that caters to the different secondary school groups. We also include the older youth leaders (Ignite and Tuakana groups) to support the virtual village. This platform aims to connect with Vinnies young people with sessions that combine fun games and breakout rooms that encourage meaningful and personal conversations. We have made numerous short videos with Vinnies students with encouraging messages for essential workers, families in need and other peers during lockdown. This virtual village allows Vinnies youth to voice their experiences and create ways to stay connected and interactive during this rāhui. One example of creative connection is a Vinnies young person nominating a loved one, friend or family member to receive a ‘care pack’ that is prepared by the Vinnies youth team and delivered with a personalised uplifting message.

In addition, we have a Psychotherapist who has recently joined our team to help us hold these conversations.

What’s the difference this makes for the young people you serve?
From the feedback that we receive and the numbers that continue to remain engaged with us, we see that this makes a significant impact on our young people. They feel listened to and heard. They feel they have a safe space to open up and freely share their experiences and ask questions that they may feel uncomfortable asking with those around them during rahui. It is a space that is reassuring and connecting – with other peers in their school and from other schools around Auckland. The virtual village is a safe space and way to remain connected within the rahui conditions.

How can the rest of the Aotearoa support those in lockdown?
Aotearoa can support our young people by showing patience and understanding. By nurturing and giving young people a space to voice openly what they are feeling. This will help us all better recognise and understand what steps need to be taken moving forward particularly in rahui situations.

SPRINGBOARD

Sian Howan

Who does your programme/service serve? 
We serve youth at high risk. High risk for becoming a beneficiary, for mental health, school attendance/ disengagement, abuse and unsafe living situations. We also serve youth and young parents on the youth payment (YP) and young parent payment (YPP).

What are the new/unique needs of young people you are encountering through the rahui? 
I have come across youth who have become more disengaged in school and extracurricular activities which has become isolating. I have also had experience with youth who are unhappy or unsafe at home, with environments that have flared up more than normal. I have also recognised that many young people who have not experienced anxiety are experiencing more of it, especially when returning back to school.

What are the innovations you have undertaken to meet the needs of young people?
With the help of my supervisor and work team, we have come up with different ways to connect and engage with the young people through social media and distanced meetings. It has been hard to get them engaged, especially the ones that are participating in online learning as they are constantly online and in meetings for school. We have used tools and questions that have broadened their mindset and provoked a deeper thinking. We have also used many tools and teachings of self care, caring for others and how to do that during this time.

What’s the difference this makes for the young people you serve?
They have become more aware of how to understand the people close to them as well as having a deeper understanding of themselves and how they operate. It has been a slow progression, but a helpful progression.

How can the rest of the Aotearoa support those in lockdown? 
Getting involved in conversation around the future of Aotearoa and what they want it to look like, not just in their communities but as a whole. People outside of lockdown areas have no clue of what it is like, how it feels, how it has affected people and to the depth it has affected them.