TAUTOKOYOUTHLINE COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

Issue 8 | April 1, 2015

CONTENTWelcome to the Youthline Community Newsletter’s new look!

You’ll notice the latest issue of our community newsletter has had a redesign. This is to commemorate our emphasis as an organisation of diversity. We have changed the design to better reflect the communities that support us across the country. It’s also about reflecting our core, which is why there’s an emphasis on the pou that reflect what we do and who we are.

This year will mark the 20th Anniversary of our Youthline whanau visiting the Te Puea Marae in Mangere. Te Puea Marae is a special place for us and is the memorial Marae for Princess Te Puea Herangi, who was a Maori leader and a renowned supporter of young people.

The activities and discussions during the visit are aimed at teaching attendees about Connection, Community and Diversity. It’s a chance for the entire Youthline whanau to come together and build cultural competency through learning, reflection, sharing, kai, waiata and fun.

Our annual visit to Te Puea Marae is our chance as an organisation to ground ourselves in the work that we do and reflect on the year that’s been. For some it may be a chance to reflect on where we have come from, our tupuna (ancestors); the taonga (treasures) they have given us and how we can use these to support our rangatahi (young people). It’s also part of the third stage of training for Youthline volunteers that will continue their journey to answer calls on the Helpline.

Thanks and enjoy - Cathy Aiavao, Volunteer and Training Services Manager

Upcoming Events

Youthline’s Annual Street Appeal takes place on May 22nd and 23rd, and we’d love your help! We’re looking for volunteers to collect for us at locations all around Auckland. If you’d like more information, please email events@youthline.co.nz - thanks!

Youthline Manukau presents “We Are The Future”, an art exhibition during Youth Week 2015. The art will be submitted by young people from local schools, and will celebrate the energy, creativity and innovation that young people contribute to our society.

Where: Youthline Manukau Centre, 145 St George St, PapatoetoeWhen: May 25th - 31st, 2015

Youthline Auckland North and Auckland Central are running a sports day with young people from PTEs around Auckland. The aim is to have fun, learn some new skills and connect young people with Youthline as a resource for future support if needed.

Where: Roskill Community CentreWhen: May 20th, 2015

Street Appeal 2015

Youthline is on the hunt for a bunch of awesome volunteers

to collect for us during this year’s Annual Street Appeal on the 22nd and 23rd of May. If this sounds like you, please get in touch!

Julia Rahui

Youthline Youth Development Worker talks to us about

her role in Youthline’s Alternative Education School, and the cool young people that she works alongside.

Youthline Auckland North Centre

We are excited to announce the

development of a Youthline Community Centre on the North Shore! We talk to Simon about getting the project started.

Sleeping rough in central Auckland

Read Youthline’s response to the

recently released Auckland Council report on sleeping rough in central Auckland and how we can help support local youth.

Youthline did us proud for PRIDE!

Youthline joined thousands of revellers to celebrate Pride at the Auckland Pride Parade on February 21st.

Youthline Pride Creative Director, Dayna Cooper, also known as the Youthline Support Centre Team Leader, said Youthline thoroughly enjoyed tackling the Gods and Monsters theme this year.

“We actively support the Rainbow Community in Aotearoa in our work and through partnerships - young people, friends and families. It feels so great to celebrate with the community.”

The Pride festival organiser had a space at the Youthline Auckland Central Centre in the lead up to the parade, and the Centre

Introducing Julia Rahui

Hi! My name is Julia - I’m a Youth Development Worker Intern at Youthline Auckland Central, and as part of my job I support the tutors and students in our Alternative Education school.

To be honest, it’s my favourite time of the week.

At the moment we have nine students, but the school can have up to fourteen. The young people come to us if they have been excluded from mainstream schooling, and more often than not they are unsure and unhappy.

At Youthline, the young people continue their academic students through Te Kura (Correspondance School) with the goal of eventually returning to mainstream schooling, work, or further education. As well as

was also home to the 45+ floats which made their way down Ponsonby Road. While everyone was getting ready for the parade to begin we had a sausage sizzle for participants and passers-by.

Youthline received really positive feedback about our participation in the parade, which is awesome. Onlookers enjoyed our cool float, which consisted of angels and devils to represent the way inner demons can create turmoil for the young people that we work alongside. There was heaps of cheering from the crowd on the night, as well as lots of congratulations from supporters following the event.

academia, the young people have courses in personal development and specialty courses such as mixed martial arts and DJ skills.

The best learning opportunities are often outside of the classroom, so we do what we can with our limited budget. This year, that includes an ongoing offsite art project and a regular “Masterchef” cooking programme. We also hope to go on a school camp to Waiheke (for some, it will be the first time on a boat). It’s cool to watch the young people get involved with things that they might not have participated in otherwise. There is a focus on finding out what the young people enjoy doing or studying, and supporting them to pursue these interests further.

Some have had, and continue to have, some very hard days. They bring personal stuff to school with them that can make it hard to concentrate on learning, but for the most part they show up at school, day in and day out. I see their determination and courage all of the time. These young people are so resilient, more than some adults I know.

Going to Alternative Education supports them with a new chapter in their life. At the end of the day, it’s up to them to make the most of their time at the school, and to become the masters of their own destiny. From being unsure and unhappy, I get to watch these young people evolve. I feel so priviledged to spend time with them, and watch them learn, develop and grow as individuals.

THANK YOU 2015 YOUTHLINE ROUND THE BAYS TEAM!

We were stoked to have a team of twenty awesome runners who ran Round The Bays for Youthline! They collectively raised a massive $7,000 for the Helpline, which will make a big difference to the people contacting us for support. We had a fantastic day and appreciated the opportunity to chill out after the race and chat to the people who ran. Thanks heaps to everyone involved - we couldn’t have done it without the runners, cheer team and BBQ-ers!

If you want to run for Youthline, we are currently recruiting for Youthline’s 2015 ASB Auckland Marathon team. Email events@youthline.co.nz for more info!

The Youthline Auckland North Centre

We are really excited to be expanding our services in Auckland North with the development of a Youthline Auckland North Centre.

This journey began early last year, when Youthline aligned its staff structure around each of the centres. This gave each centre the ability to adapt to the specific needs of their local community.

North Auckland is a diverse region, ranging from rural areas to populated towns, and covers the area north of the Harbour Bridge all the way to Wellsford and across the Kaipara Harbour. Our ideal site would be in Albany, because it’s central, and has a range of schools, tertiary education facilities and PTEs, which means it will be a convenient location for lots of young people and is close to public transport!

This is a massive undertaking, and we are fortunate to welcome Simon Johnston to Youthline as part of the Auckland North Centre Development team. Simon’s work has covered the wider marketing functions including sponsorship, fundraising and communications in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. He is excited to be on board, and is looking forward to watching the development take place.

“The whole project is about involving the North Auckland community,” says Simon. “I’m talking to suppliers, developers, schools, tertiary institutions, everyone I can, to get them behind us.”

This centre is part of an ongoing development to ensure Youthline is creating communities where young people can thrive, and the best way to do this is to be part of each individual community. We now have Youthline community centres in Auckland Central and Manukau, with the development of a Auckland North centre on its way, and we work in collaboration with a consortium of partners to provide Youth Worker services from HealthWest in Waitakere.

“Being able to get the build done almost for free with community support would be the ideal situation. We really want that community feel.” says Simon.

If you can help with this project, please email changinglives@youthline.co.nz

Youthline’s National Youth Collective

At Youthline, we are big believers in the importance of youth participation, which is why we have been working hard to reignite our National Youth Advisory Group (YAG). A YAG is a group of young people who are equipped to provide input and lead projects for organisations, services or initiatives related to youth. It is about giving young people an opportunity to participate meaningfully in things that affect them, and help organisations and services get it right when working with youth.

A few weeks ago, we brought together a motivated group of twenty young people from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill to form our National YAG, the National Youth Collective (NYC).

The NYC captures the insights of young people from across New Zealand, reflecting the diverse opinions and interests they hold. It encourages young people to recognise their skills and leadership potential, while supporting them as change makers within their communities.

“It’s great for young people to have their say because at the end of the day, we’re the ones that deal with the decisions that are made today,” says National Youth Collective member, Lennon Cameron. “It’s important for adults to remember when they were younger and had adults making decisions for them, and how important it is for everyone to have their say, regardless of age or status.”

Youthline’s National Spokesperson Stephen Bell says youth participation is vital if we are to stay relevant with young people. It strengthens a young person’s sense of self, enables them to contribute to something of value and increases feelings of connectedness.

“YAGs are youth development in action and we are passionate about ensuring young people have a voice and feel heard when it comes to decision making within their own communities,” Stephen says.

Youthline Auckland facilitates five YAGs and supports 36 Youth Health Councils (YHCs) across the Auckland region. YHCs are groups of young people in secondary schools taking on projects to improve the wellbeing of their peers within a school setting. These groups are held in partnership with several organisations that value young people, including YouthLaw, Counties Manukau District Health Board and Waitemata District Health Board.

Youthline encourages any young person, parent, school, organisation or business interested in meaningful youth participation to get in touch.

An insight into the experience of sleeping rough in central Auckland

Youthline commends the release of An Insight into the experience of sleeping rough in central Auckland, a report by Lifewise, Auckland Council, Auckland City Mission and Think Place.

The report emphasises the complexity of the choice to live on the street, particularly the number of triggers to leave home and sleep rough. The triggers are numerous and varied, highlighting the need for wraparound services that put people first.

“Youthline is well placed to deliver our alongside service - when we encounter a young person who is sleeping rough, we provide transportation, help them navigate the benefit system, link them into accommodation, assign them a youth coach, get them into counselling when necessary and keep in touch with them throughout the process,” explained Youthline Auckland Central Centre Manager, Kathryn Doughty.

“Sleeping rough is the narrow end of the wedge for youth homelessness though, it is the last resort. It means they have exhausted the couch surfing options, and staying with friends of friends.”

The report illustrates how complicated decisions to sleep rough can be for young people, and how often the ‘choice’ to do so was more often than not a result of having no other options.

Solutions for young people need to be wraparound, and include youth specific accommodation options, inter-agency responses, open communication between providers and well supported transition plans from the street into care.

“Young people sleeping rough are often vulnerable to risk-taking behaviour, and accommodation solutions in Auckland are not youth specific and can be very unsafe, especially for young women,” says Doughty. “If a young person is able to find affordable housing independently, they also face barriers if they are under 18 and cannot sign a rental agreement.”

Currently, helping a young person find a place to stay off the street often means reintroducing them to the system that failed them in the first place, which leads many young people not to reach out for help when they need it.

Youthline is currently coordinating discussions with a wide selection of key providers in the Auckland Central area to address youth homelessness. An imperative for success in this area is collaboration, and the working group are committed to sharing knowledge and understanding of the issues, and considering ideas and options to support one another with practical actions to challenge and reduce barriers for young people.

“We are currently working on mapping the services provided at the different levels of housing need for youth, and the funding, policy and service gaps will be determined from there,” says Youthline Auckland General Manager, Glenda Schnell.

Thank you to everyone who donated through our latest appeal, your support will provide emergency assistance to young people who are sleeping rough.

For those who would like more information, the sleeping rough report is available through the Auckland Council website.

We want to thank our funders, who make the work we do alongside NZ youth possible!Auckland Council | ASB Community Trust | Auckland Airport Community Trust | BlueSky Community Trust

BNZ Closed for Good | Christine Taylor Foundation for Mental Health | DIA COGS | Dragon Community TrustEndeavour Community Foundation | Four Winds Foundation | Grassroots Trust | Infinity Foundation

John Ilott Charitable Trust | Lion Foundation | NZ Lottery Grants Board | Maurice Paykel Charitable TrustMt Wellington Foundation | New Zealand Community Trust | NZ Post | Pegasus Sports Foundation

Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate | SkyCity Auckland Community Trust The Trusts Community Foundation | Todd Foundation | Trust Waikato | Youthtown

Address:

Please email me the Youthline Community Newsletter

Email:

I would like to make a donation of $

$30 $60 $120 Other

I would like to make a regular donation of $

Weekly Fortnightly Monthly

I would like to donate by:

Cash EFTPOS Cheque (Please make payable to ‘Youthline’)

Mastercard Visa Amex

Card No:

Cardholders Name:

Expiry Date: / / Signature:

Please don’t send me the Youthline Community Newsletter

Did you know you can donate online? Head to www.youthline.co.nz/donate

Let us know what you think of the Youthline Community Newsletter’s new look by emailing donate@youthline.co.nz

Name: