Te Aho Tū Roa - Kōtuia!

te-aho-tu-roa-kotuia

Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Be-Da-Day… Stevie Wonder. The Man. A wiked day, coming to the end of an epic month. Kickin it in the back of the room listening to a live rehearsal while I reflect on how we got to where we are now…

That was a week ago now, back there in the rehearsal room, life came along and moved me onto the next gig, to the next task, and the sitting to reflect got left singing along where it was…

rau kōwhai

Now. I’m up north in Te Tai Tokerau, Te Nōta, kei te rongo i te mita, i te hā ō tōku nei kāinga. Te reka hoki! We have been rolling for a week now, cranking up the start of our Hui ā-Kura, our school workshop tour catalysing rangatahi Māori out in the regions in their action learning journey, seeking out the kōrero ō neherā, the old stories, legends that are connected with the significant water features in their region.

Wai - water, is our main kaupapa for the year and it’s so confirming to see that it IS an extremely relevant and connected kaupapa for the students and communities that we are working with. Right now in a lot of the far north there are water shortages and creeks drying up because of droughts, so helping rangatahi connect to their wai, and bringing alive the stories of their tupuna has been a massive privilege! The energy of the students and the richness of the stories that they are sharing with us is totally enriching our journey and the scenery and beauty of the north is awesome. The other awesome thing about jamming with rangatahi Māori about wai is that we got to rock it out at the different awa and jump off the bridges! Meeean bombs all around!!

Bombing...

Tonight, on sunset, we found ourselves enjoying fish and chips on the beach at Waitangi after a massive day! The morning started in the mist crossing the ferry from Rawene over to Kohukohu, from there the drive out to Panguru flew by, and after a quick detour to the beach at Mitimiti we were welcomed onto Te Kura Taumata o Panguru by the whole school, spending the day with the senior crew there then rolling from the west to the east in the sunshine…

Te Awa

Casting my mind back, in Pūmahara mode I’m seeing that there are two distinct types of work that I’m finding myself engaged in, after blowing a week out pulling together a funding application for one of our projects (enabling work) I’m now spending my days jamming with the students and my crew (contact work) Definitely seeing and confirming where my passions lie and learning new skills as we roll through the work…

Back to the day in the rehearsal room, what I was going to write about was that in the short space of 3 hours, 3 meetings in a row, for 3 different parts of the project, the 3 outcomes were awesome, my skype call with a spoken word / slam poet crew member from Youth Speaks Hawai’i laid foundations for them to come over and be part of Te Aho Tū Roa - Kōtuia! later on in the year, the meeting with our graphics man bounced up some good design concepts that are developing the visual identity for the Jam and the crew, and the meeting hooked up with Hector at Te Whariki put into place a meeting the next week to develop an evaluation process for the year.. so feeling good…

Youth Speaks Hawai’i Crew - Kaona

One of the key things I am focusing on is respecting myself, respecting my body and respecting my limits, so to keep true to my focus, I’m going to sleep.

Mauri ora ki a koutou katoa!

Te Rawhitiroa

Beauty and tragedy in South East Stoke

One of our team building activities

One of our team building activities

We’re having the best summer ever in Nelson this year with daily trips to the river or beach with my family and usually quite a few extras, to cool off.    And now the work has begun…

I spent the first few weeks of my time at House 44, interviewing and hiring 4 youth and a supervisor under the community max scheme, to design and complete a beautification project of the alleyways and streets bordering the community house. Also in the plan is some time to paint the fences and make raised vege gardens in houses in the street and design and landscape the empty spaces in the area with fruit trees and BBQ etc.

Clearing the park

Clearing the park

We’re looking forward to seeing the faces of the people of Nelson when they see the new South East Stoke.

Some of the boys group cooling down in the river

Some of the boys group cooling down in the river

The boys and girls evening youth groups and whanau youth groups have all been running as drop in groups rather than youth development programmes so I am working with the various leaders to work alongside the youth to plan for the year including fundraising  and how to build resiliency.

Everyone‘s been really welcoming and are excited about everything we will be able to achieve this year with the  Vodafone Foundation.
Week four was very hard though. We lost 3 young men in a horrific car accident.  I was asked by one of the  mums  to take her boy’s funeral. It was hard but a real honour. All the funerals were very big and involved a large number of youth. There’s not many people who would have had to go to 3 funerals of their mates in a week.- It’ll take a while for this community to recover. We realised that when a crisis such as this occurs in the community there are not many resources available to help the youth deal with their grief. If they had been at school, a crisis team and counselors would have been made available but  help was remarkably absent for these youth.
There’s so, so much work to do and this community has big plans but I’m loving helping such a great team.

40th Birthday Bash!

40th-birthday-bash

The welcoming in of 2010 was a significant milestone in the history of Youthline as we celebrate our 40th anniversary of Youthline supporting young people in New Zealand communities. As the organisation has grown and diversified, I remember that at the heart of what we do is our volunteer led helpline, and an ethos of the community taking responsibility for others in the community.

Youthline house has had a makeover! Gone is the distinct Yellow, and now we are the big blue building in Ponsonby! Plus we have a hole in our carpark… The Youthline Manukau Development Centre resource consent was processed, and the portable building was moved to the site on the 22nd of January 2010!

The Honourable John Key at Youthline HouseThat was just in time to make space to erect a marquee for Prime Minister John Key’s  visit to unveil a commemorative 40th Birthday plaque. At this special occasion Prime Minister spoke about the work we do at Youthline as potentially the last port of call for those who need support, guidance and help. These were significant words considering the governments funding cuts that have left our volunteer training programmes in need of $40K, a shaky position.

The Mentor Strategy session at the end of January was a landmark moment for my project. This team of passionate Youthline volunteers came together to reflect on how we have grown and how we can sustain the work beyond my WOD year. The outpouring of ideas attested to the power of the group and that this group will always be moving and changing as the need of our clients and our service evolve.

Pulling the pieces of the project pie together. ..We finished off 2009 with some visits to the Manukau and Auckland Central Youth Advisory Groups to excite and connect our younger people with the opportunities for them to volunteer on the helpline. This is paving the way for our TEXT training programme which will be piloted this year. I am working alongside the Youth Workers to strengthen the ways in which we develop leadership and connect young people in positions across the organisation. The text medium has provided us with new chance to engage young people in serving their peers in the community.

Enjoy the summer!
Tiffany

Youth Week 2010


Youth Week is May 22-31 2010! The campaign is coordinated by NZ Aotearoa Adolescent Health & Development (NZAAHD) and is about celebrating young people and their diversity! The theme of Youth Week is Rangatahi Ora=Whānau Ora - connecting young people and families. Organise an event, register it at www.youthweek.co.nz, check out the competitions and apply for the Vodafone NZ Foundation & ALAC Youth Week grants today!

summer, summer, summer summer time

Since I last reported it has been extremely busy times. Lots of young people partied in and around the Nelson area over the summer period. Our services, workers and volunteers have been at full capacity, which is great but has meant we have had to turn down some event organisers who required our services. The media portrayed young people in quite a negative light over the New Year’s period but our experiences were that the overwhelming majority of young people were in good spirits and behaving like responsible citizens.

I have been supporting the YOUTHTRAIN young people to volunteer on our recreation and beach contracts and they have really stepped up to the job. I have been Coordinating HYPE-GS’s involvement in the Nelson Tasman Skatepark tour which is 7 skate park competitions throughout January in a variety of locations. These events are really popular with both competitors and spectators and I love working these events because of the positive vibes. I have also coordinated workers at a number of other events throughout the region such as the Takaka Mardi Gras and the beach ambassador service over the Christmas and New Year period.

Unfortunately I have has to deal with some situations which are the less desirable parts of my job like being a witness at a parole hearing in Christchurch and spending time de-briefing staff after serious incidents relating to violence, alcohol and other drug use and mental health. However, we learn and we grow individually and as and organisation from such interventions.

I am now in reporting, planning, funding and WOD wind down mode while factoring in some well deserved rest, recuperation and dog walking! This means not being tempted to work many shifts on our services and upcoming events. This is hard as my passion is getting out there and working with young people and communities but if I do the paperwork just won’t get done!

2010: The Year of Growing

2010-the-year-of-growing

Skills. Knowledge. Friendships. Community. Ideas. Stoke. 2010 is the year of growing, all these things and more!

Like cabbages, those things don’t grow on their own!

Like cabbages, those things don’t grow on their own!

It’s my third week as Youth Action Coordinator for Sustainable Dunedin City, and whoa it’s been… active! This year is about turning visions into actions; we’re providing a space for youth to learn more about what climate change and peak oil mean for Dunedin, and supporting them in taking positive action that leads to a world of difference in our communities.

 The Vision

 In 2008, the Dunedin Secondary Students’ Climate Forum brought together two senior students from each of the city’s secondary schools to focus on the challenges that climate change and peak oil pose for Dunedin. The project, initiated by SDC, culminated in the students presenting their vision for a cleaner, safer, more sustainable future to city and regional councillors. The vision came in the form of a communiqué, signed by around 4,000 (more than half) of Dunedin’s secondary school students.

Youth driven community action!

Youth driven community action!

The Action

As I’ve mentioned, 2010 is about doing. My first project is 22 Youth - a secondary student youth crew who will work together through the year to enact the DSSCF 08 communiqué. Most importantly, 22 Youth will be student-driven. If they want to build a wind turbine, we’ll do it. Central city green waste system? Totally. How about a community garden? Sweet! From school projects to whole community festivals, it’s an open year for student-driven student action.

It’s just so awesome to be welcomed into and supported by the Vodafone Foundation Whanau, to work in this increasingly important area. And because I’m supported to work full time for SDC, I can offer the students access to the support of a large network of businesses, organisations and educators - real leaders at the cutting edge of future-focused ingenuity. I’m excited to make this an amazing year, focusing on practical skill development, hands-on experience, and most importantly, lots of fun!

The Otago Boys’ High auditorium just moments before the students came flooding in for the film.

The Otago Boys’ High auditorium just moments before the students came flooding in for the film.

To kick start 22 Youth I’ve been visiting all Dunedin secondary schools and screening my Masters documentary, Carving the Future. It’s 25 minutes of inspirational young New Zealanders driving positive change in their communities – what better foot to start the year on! I then pitch the programme, and a “gimme an application form!” frenzy results. This morning was the largest screening yet, in the beautiful Auditorium at the historic Otago Boys’ High School. Epic.

“The visioning doesn’t end with the vision itself. But with the story, the map, the plan, and the action, to get us there!”

Arohanui

Te Aho Tū Roa…2010 is ON!

te-aho-tu-roa2010-is-on

Whiria, whiria, whiria ngā aho. Ngā aho tāngata, ngā aho i whakatōria e ngā mātua tūpuna, ngā aho e hono nei i a tātou ki a tātou, tātou ki tō tātou taiao, ngā aho kōrero e pū mai ana i ngā mātāpuna kōrero ō nehe.
Whiria kia ū, whiria kia tū roa ai mō ngā uri whakatupu. Tihei mauri ora!

Picture this: Sitting here at my desk overlooking the beauuutiful Whaingaroa Harbour, an A3 sized list of tasks (transferred from my head, brainstormed onto paper) on my left, phone on my right, computer in front of me, calendar on the wall already filling up with dates, dates, tasks, meetings, jams… 2010 is on.

paradise = summer holiday back home..

This is my first blog for the year.. just trying to get my mind back in from holiday mode (up there in the photo) and back into the idea that this is going to be a meeean year. On the ‘to do’ list right now are the project overviews, budgets and letters to potential supporters. With a project so fresh and so new, a big part of the work now seems to be shaping the concept and connecting with people - forging and strengthening partnerships that can benefit all involved.

I am massively grateful to be supported to be working another year with the awesome whanau at The Enviroschools Foundation, and to be able to focus my energy on working with rangatahi Māori around the country to bring together Te Aho Tū Roa.

Te Aho Tū Roa is a national jam programme where rangatahi will explore stories from the past - ngā kōrero a ngā tūpuna - that illustrate connection and belonging to place, specifically to a significant body of water in their local area. Whether it be their Mātāpuna, Awa, Roto or Moana, rangatahi will be challenged to seek out the people or places where the stories are held, bringing community connections, actions and feelings of belonging, pride of place. They will then bring these stories together at the national event where they will have the opportunity to use their skills and talents in performance.

This first part of the year is also when we will start to get in touch with the most important people in this project - the rangatahi, kura and people in the regions. Need to get lists sorted, letters for principals, workshop plans and logistics sorted. Get on the phone…

We are also exploring the possibility of getting sponsored a vehicle to get me and my crew around to the kura in the regions to carry out the workshop programme and regional jams later on in the year…any ideas? contacts? ;-)

Also, as part of the project we are looking to record the journeys of some of the participants of the project through interviews at the hui ā kura - school workshops, the hui ā rohe - regional jams, and the national jam event - Te Aho Tū Roa in September this year. Through this we hope to be able to tell the story of the outcomes of the project and also come out with a resource to help future participants get an idea of what it’s all about. To enable this to happen, on our wish list is a Sony Z1 video camera so any ideas on a good place to source these are more than welcome!

Aaanyway, taking a brief moment of time for reflection (and blog writing) has given me a nice space to breathe, back to mahi now and let the weaving continue… Whiria, whiria, whiria ngā aho. Whiria kia ū, kia tū roa ai mo ngā rā e heke mai ana.

Mauri ora!

karioi

A new adventure…

a-new-adventure

My goodness! A whole entire World of Difference year has zipped on by and things down here are still frothing like mad!

 

This year has been an amazing experience for me – the support that the Foundation provided, their confidence in my ability and the mentoring that I received will serve me and Volunteer Otago well in the future. Being part of the World of Difference is more than just a funding grant – it’s being welcomed into a whanau that is loving, supportive and encourages personal and professional development. I am grateful and humbled at having been included.

 

Some of the super-fantastic summer jam crew

Some of the super-fantastic summer jam crew

 

 The end of my year has been a delight, with my last week spent getting psyched and inspired by some wicked young people at the Regeneration Summer Jam, possibly the most awesome hui ever, ever, ever. They’ve sent me back to Dunedin absolutely buzzing with new ideas, new friends and a whole van load of enthusiasm!!

The Greatest Show on Earth 2 (we were wrong about the last one)

The Greatest Show on Earth 2 (we were wrong about the last one)

 

The Greatest Show on Earth 2* (we were wrong about the last one) was another highlight with a lovely, low key Sunday of music at Chicks Hotel in Port Chalmers, designed as a chance to wind down and celebrate the great work that the youth volunteers have done throughout the year. Big thanks go to the organising crew and the bands who played such awesome tunes.

 

We also began our scoping project in central Otago, looking at ways to effectively expand the work of our Volunteer centre to include more people, places and non-profits. We’re hoping that by the middle of 2010, we’ll have a good idea about the sorts of services that the folks in Wanaka, Queenstown, Alexandra and Cromwell would like.

 

There was, as always, a week up in Wellington, the city that seems to be trying to lure me away from Dunedin. There was some Generosity Hub work to be done, some meetings and a great weekend spent with the Regeneration Summer Jam crew, nutting out thoughts and ideas for the week-long January festival. It’s gonna be a blast.

Paint by numbers is always a winner! Happy International Volunteers day everyone!

Paint by numbers is always a winner! Happy International Volunteers day everyone!

 

 And for International Volunteers Day, I got to go to Nelson with Frank Bunce, playing his first official role as the Ambassador for Volunteer Centres, then come back to Dunedin to create a paint-by-numbers mural with a great crew of Dunedinites. 

 Things for next year are looking swell. I’ll be stepping up and out of my youth-focused role, into the Managers position at Volunteer Otago. It’s an exciting (and slightly terrifying) move, but I believe that with the help and support of our amazing group of staff and volunteers, we should be able to develop and grow the organisation and ensure the sustainability of the youth programme for years to come. 

It’s nice to know that the World of Difference whanau will still be around next year and it’s been a real pleasure to welcome in the new members of our family – I can’t wait to see what exciting projects they round up in the next 12 months.

 

Thanks for being rad everyone!! See you round!

Thanks for an awesome year!

Thanks for an awesome year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurtling towards the New Year!

hurtling-towards-the-new-year

It’s the final quarter and my quietness on the blog front is not a reflection of a quiet working world this November and December!!

For the past 2 months my calendar has been packed full of events! Much tooing and frooing to Wellington was done for the Volunteering New Zealand Conference (where Lani’s crew of young volunteers stole the show), then to Parliament for a special Foundation presentation to MPS in the Great Hall, and back the following week for a Youthline National Executive meeting.

November kicked off with the World of Difference 2010 announcement event and induction day. This was an exciting time to meet with the new recipients and hear about the wonderful work they are going to be doing next year. What an incredible bunch of young leaders: they left me with a sense of inspiration that anything is possible if there is passion and commitment.

As they look forward to new beginnings we are busily wrapping up a very full year at Youthline House. And we have been busy in the hub! Celebrations abound for the mentor team who have DOUBLED the number of trainee counsellors who have graduated to solo this semester from 2008. What has been most awesome is that we have managed to do all this hard work whilst keeping the team happy and relaxed so that they can begin the year afresh in 2010 with lots of positive energy for their work. Our final Mentors team meeting was a chance to celebrate and look back at how far we have come as a team! Wooooooo hoooooooo thanks Vodafone!

Mid November I was invited to speak at the Vodafone induction day sharing with new employees a little bit about the impact the World of difference programme has had on Youthline and how volunteering has changed my life. I relished in the opportunity to reconnect with the sense of purpose this work has given me.

Events continued to make up my calendar with a morning on the Grey Lynn festival Stall. Fight Night: Fight for Youth followed and we raised over $10,000 for our Manukau Centre, and supported our own Georgina ‘cool hands’ Clarke in the ring, beating her opponent and doing the Youthline Whanau proud.

Back on the home front more preparation was in action for the volunteers ‘Red Featuring White’ Christmas party. Red and white adorned volunteers packed the dance floor- they sure know how to party! Amongst all the silliness we had the opportunity to celebrate everyone’s contribution through the year and to announce our inaugural Volunteer of the Year award. A special taonga had been carved and blessed for the occasion and the votes had been coming in fast and furious for 2weeks. The nominees were the top 10 contributors on the helpline, this group did a staggering 700 volunteer hours combined in 2009- that’s 30 days work, day and night.

Youthline CEO Stephen Bell (left) Volunteer of the Year Jaimee Lynn McPhee (centre) and Tiffany (right)

Youthline CEO Stephen Bell (left) Volunteer of the Year Jaimee Lynn McPhee (centre) and Tiffany (right)

24 year old Jaime Lynn McPhee was the winner and received the award with grace and modesty. She is known to her peers as incredibly compassionate, always able to provide enlightening perspectives and has deep empathy and understanding.
What a way to end the year and bring on the holidays! 

MERI KIRIMETE
Tiffany

Living the dream

living-the-dream

YES iCAN crew

 

As we start to see Santa Claus making his rounds of the shopping malls it is hard to believe another festive season dawns. It only feels like yesterday that I was preparing for my World of Difference year with YES and Carabiner but what a year it has been. From speaking to disability groups in Japan to speaking alongside the Prime Minister at the social Hero Awards in Auckland, from 5 matches in Carabiner to nearing 20 mentors and mentorees, from a dream to reality Carabiner and the YES Disability Resource Centre have enhanced our foundations to continue supporting the dreams and aspirations of our youth. It is through the support of our sponsors and community and the involvement of our mentors / mentorees that we have been able to create such fond memories.

 

Carabiner Ice Skaters

On Sunday the 13th of December Carabiner mentorees took to the ice at Paradice Ice Skating Rink (Botany). Dubbed Carabiners Day in Paradise the experience day was created by youth to create a new exciting challenge while building their networks amongst one another. With four planning sessions in lead up to the event the crew of Mentorees made sure that the event was accessible to all and with wheel-chairs zooming around the ice on the day, it was great to see the guys having a blast!

 

On Thursday the 3rd of December both the YES Disability Resource Centre (Auckland) and iCAN (Wellington) collaborated on a project to celebrate the International Day of Persons with a Disability.  YES iCAN was an initiative driven by youth and people with disabilities to show the contribution that we make to society. To actively promote our passion of making a difference we set out to collect as many cans as we could for the Auckland City Mission over a 5 hour period. By using social media sites and e-mail we got our message to individuals, businesses, schools and community groups to bring in a total of 2,300 cans on the day.

 

While the year is wrapping up, I’m busy in planning for 2010 and in full excitement for what it contains. Our first training in the New Year is on February 27th and open to mentors / mentorees linked and waiting to be linked, for those who are thinking “is Carabiner for me”? or “What could I contribute”? Originally training was for mentors / mentorees already matched but as we have found this can be an important part of the matching process. It provides a full insight into Carabiner without having had made any long term commitments. With the training youth and people young at heart are then ready to become a Mentor / Mentoree at anytime and can go straight into the process rather than waiting for the next training dates. Registrations for the training are now open so do contact cam@yesdisability.org.nz for a spot. Following the training (which we hope to be massive) we will have a mentor evening for all mentors to network, ask questions and hear from other mentors who have completed their year in Carabiner to share tips and advice.

 

2010 looks to be an awesome year and I look forward to sharing my plans with you in the New Year.

 

merry-christmas-from-cam