2009 Recipients
Check out these amazingly nice people who have followed their passion to make a world of difference. Read their stories and be inspired. It could be your turn next!
Bridget Roche – Challenge 2000 (Wellington)
Bridget will be working with Challenge 2000, a youth development charitable trust which provides alternative college education for high needs youth and leadership and personal development programmes for young people.
Challenge 2000 was founded in Wellington in 1988 and works with 3000 young people to also offer mentoring services, youth justice community reintegration programmes, support around the transition to work and social work intervention with Porirua Colleges. Challenge 2000 plans to open a youth branch in Auckland in January 2009.
In her role as the Manger of Youth Intervention and Development Services, Bridget hopes to develop an induction and training programme for youth workers, strengthen resources for the team and refine the mentoring programme with a more collaborative approach.
“By the end of my year, I believe there could be a significant number of young people that have developed advanced leadership and youth work skills, who go on to actively participate in and change the lives of many other young people.”
Cameron Calkoen – Yes Disability Resource Centre (Auckland)
Cameron has used his disability to connect with youth as a mentor. He sees his cerebral palsy as a gift that has given him the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the Ontario Paralympic Championships, to become an ambassador for the Yes Disability Resource Centre and to work with youth with disabilities.
Carabiner is a one-on-one mentoring programme, run through the Yes Disability Resource Centre, designed to give young people with disabilities the support and guidance they need to reach their dreams. Cameron currently works part time for the organisation, running a very successful pilot for the Carabiner mentoring programme.
“I’ve been inspired to take Carabiner past the pilot and ensure that all youth with disabilities who have acquired a specific goal are able to become the best that they can be! My personal experience of living with a disability has taught me the value of support. Support has been the foundation to reaching my goals.”
Joshua Briggs – EVOLVE (Wellington)
For the past two years Joshua has been a Youth Support Worker for Evolve, working with high needs youth in Wellington. His role at Evolve gives young people, who might have previously been typecast or overlooked, a chance at success. Evolve was set up in 2000, as a youth specific health service.
He will spend his World of Difference year developing programmes to utilise an activity space, which has been vacant due to a lack of resources. Joshua’s vision for the space is to expand the youth development programmes on offer and ultimately transfer more youth into the workforce and higher education.
“I have a strong passion for young people, especially those at risk and transitioning. Evolve is one of the great places that give young people a chance who normally are not given one. I too was once in their shoes and it gives me great pleasure to give back to those who are most at need.”
Lani Evans – Volunteering Otago (Dunedin)
Lani’s passion lies in community and volunteering work, and her role with Volunteer Otago as a Youth coordinator will help build stronger communities and shift perceptions of young people.
Volunteer Otago is a referral, promotion and advocacy agency supporting 120 not-for-profit organisations and 400 individuals a year to build a community of trained volunteers throughout the Otago region. Lani has worked with Volunteer Otago for nearly six months and also works as a phone volunteer for Youthline. She previously set up a community education programme based on the Mana Wahine Walk (Lani walked the length of the South Island to raise awareness for Youthline).
Lani will spend her World of Difference year increasing youth involvement in volunteering, setting up replicable systems within the team and piloting and evaluating the school and community involvement programme (with the aim of engaging 100 student volunteers in its first year).
“I truly believe that reconnecting the threads of a community is one of the greatest imperatives of our time.”
Sally Wood – HYPE GS (Nelson)
A development worker for HYPE-GS, Sally is passionate about working with young people and equipping them with the tools they need to make sound decisions within their social environment. The HYPE-GS programme was established in 2001, following a series of youth riots on the streets of Nelson. Since then it has grown steadily and provides more services in spaces where young people gather.
Sally will spend her World of Difference year recruiting, training and assessing up to 40 youth recruits in a robust training programme and profiling the young people to media, to create positive stories on youth. HYPE-GS will be able to offer more youth services in gathering spaces throughout the Nelson and Tasman region. Sally also hopes to establish a theatre based schools tour in the region, focused on safer partying.
“I am passionate about HYPE-GS. It was created out of a community need. I have a passion to see young people develop and reach their potential and feel valued in their communities.”
Tiffany Harkess – Youthline (Auckland)
Tiffany had been actively involved in Youthline for more than two years in a number of roles from volunteer phone counsellor to senior mentor. Tiffany is also a member of the Strategic Review Committee, a group of volunteers and staff who advise the Board on the strategic direction of Youthline.
As Mentor Team Leader and System Development Manager (Youthline Ponsonby and Manukau), Tiffany will spend her World of Difference year supporting trainees and developing young volunteers to become mentors. Her ultimate aim is to build a sustainable mentor team and structure and to put systems in place to grow capacity for the years to come.
Tiffany has set herself some ambitious goals for her World of Difference tenure. She aims to help 160 new trainees “go solo” as volunteers and increase the mentoring team by 15-20. But that’s just the beginning. Tiffany plans to establish an extended and formalised training programme for new mentors and introduce a reward and recognition system to increase volunteer retention.
“Youthline has given me support and helped me realise my leadership ability. I want to help young people to have the same opportunities. Allowing me to work as a Vodafone New Zealand Foundation World of Difference recipient will give the senior volunteer team the input it needs to grow in the future.”
