Helping young people make positive changes in their lives and have a voice in decisions that impact them is a priority for the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board.
Deputy Chair Julia Parfitt says that residents complained about youth violence and bullying in Browns Bay several years ago.
“We wanted to support our young people to make better decisions and positive contributions to their community.
“It seemed like everyone held a piece of this puzzle, so we organised several hui and involved everyone we could.
“We invited community members, community agencies and local businesses. Introducing other perspectives and viewpoints, really helped us understand what was going on.”
What emerged was Bays in Action, a collective that promotes greater wellbeing for all and has an intentional focus on youth development.
Ministry of Social Development and local board funding, over several years, has enabled a partnership between Auckland North Community and Development (ANCAD) and Heart of the Bays to deliver youth-orientated activities and events.
Parfitt is proud of how the community mobilised and responded to youth wellbeing with an ambitious two-week programme of youth and whanau events that took place at the 2021 Bays Matariki Festival.
For North Shore Family Violence Prevention Strategic Manager Deb Humphries, youth is at the heart of everything they do, and the whakataukī / Maori proverb says it best.
“Nāku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi / With your basket and my basket, we will sustain everyone.
“This acknowledges that shared accountability within communities is important because through working together, we can achieve more than we would alone.”
Humphries is thrilled that an intermediate student went on to design the collective’s logo. The student entered the ‘design a logo’ competition with prizes donated by local organisations including a graphic designer’s time to produce the logo designs.
Youth Development Co-ordinator Taylor Lake walks alongside rangatiha / young people and hears what they are saying. By understanding their needs, she connects them with education or training programmes such as the arts and budgeting courses.
“It is about changing today and having opportunities that young people can step into,” Lake says.
The local board often hears from residents concerned about young people’s wellbeing.
Chair Gary Brown says, “We partner with community organisations and while we don’t work directly with youth, we know this is an area that deserves special attention.”
The HBC Youth Hauora Network has organised a community hui on Thursday 29 June, 9.30am-11am. It takes place at the Whangaparāoa Baptist Church and includes a range of topics such as Jobs and Skills Expo, youth violence, youth voice, and emotional regulation and resilience. Open to the Hibiscus Coast residents, anyone wanting to attend should email youthhauroanetwork@gmail.com.
Brown says, “By assisting those who work directly with youth, we create a youth ecosystem that builds strong connections between youth and adults which benefits everyone in our community.
“Ultimately, we want to support youth networks so that young people thrive and have a voice in decisions that impact our community.”
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