October Update
Kia ora e te whānau,
Months of careful planning and preparation, and many hopes and dreams were invested into a plan for 12 Hours of Mahi for our Rangatahi with More FM. Our objectives were to highlight a crucial issue and build funding to address it. Manga Hapahāpai / The Confidence Centre is our collaborative response to our own back-yard experience of anxiety, our hearts and souls aching, on an individual level for how (by the numbers) the world's greatest mental health challenge - anxiety - impacts lives. Our experience is that the provision of safe spaces and programmes designed to awhi and empower bring about change for our whānau.
At five minutes to 6am on Friday 29th September (a few days out from Covid recovery!) we were ready for action at More FM, with Ken and Anna poised at the microphones. It was a moment to reflect on all the wholesome plans which were about to kick into action: including an all day exercisathon, buskathon, crafty creations, swap shop, and all kinds of brilliant supports from the event sponsors (many of which, seeing them in action throughout the day, moved me to tears - again, and again - and again).
At five minutes to 6pm, on the same day, we saw our funding total tick over our target for the day - an outrageously bold $50,000 to establish and staff the centre for its setup and first year of operation. Our Crowd Funding campaign runs for a further three weeks - and, in that time, the work continues! We are aiming high; a bigger funding result means more on the team and greater capacity to serve and make the difference in our community. Please head here to make your pledge - there are some truly delicious PledgeMe Rewards up for grabs!
Our immediate mahi involves establishing Working Groups with specific areas of interest - teen anxiety support, adult anxiety support and addressing disinformation. If you have lived experience in any of these areas, and would be keen to contribute to the shaping and operation of this service - we would very much love to hear from you. Please do get in touch
For now - for all that has been given and pledged - we are utterly humbled and grateful. We don't take a single dollar invested for granted, and we, ourselves, pledge to be accountable to the kindness and generosity shown at every level. From the core of my heart and soul - thank you; thank you - fifty thousand times - thank you.
Arohanui, Jamie.
'On the ground" on September 29th - what I saw, heard, felt, experienced
Liz, our Lead Coach, was on the ground for the 12 hours of Mahi for Rangatahi, and we asked her to describe the vibe…
“The wind blew its icy chill, but it did not deter the courageous spirit and determination of all those involved to make Friday 29th September and our 12 hour spectacular a day to remember! Every time we have an event at Waimanako, we are reminded just how much the local community is behind what we do. It is like being wrapped in this special bubble of love, encouragement and support. There are always so many different ways to get involved and the community absolutely did that this time too! I loved the connections and reconnections happening. Being able to introduce people, put faces to names or to see faces that I hadn’t seen for a while. Every time we put on an event feels like a beautiful whānau reunion, that grounded feeling of belonging, and this one was no exception.” Liz
Liz went on to ask others what the day meant to them. You can read their responses here!
Introducing...
We're absolutely thrilled to introduce two new members of our Retreat Team. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini.
Leroy: Waimanako Koha Cafe Team, Shift Manager
Kia Ora - I'm Leroy. I'm of Māori (Ngapuhi) and Samoan (Eva) descent. I was born here in New Plymouth but moved to Whangārei as a toddler and settled there for a good decade or so. After stops in Auckland and back here my whānau decided to make the move to Australia. After almost 20 years on and off there and putting in the hard mahi there in many different fields, I decided I needed to come home and settle in. At the time I never thought "home" would be Taranaki, but something draws me back here.
Is it the lifestyle? Is it the friendly people? Is it the community feeling? Is it our Maunga? Is it our beautiful rivers and ocean? Is it the massive Ice Creams from Iona Dairy? I don't know what it is but what I do know is this is HOME and I'm here to help those in the community that need someone to talk to or need a bit of a laugh here and there.
Zach: Programme Development Coordinator
领英推荐
Kia ora, ko Zachary taku ingoa - I tend to go by Zach, but it's nice to have two options. I'm fresh out of university with a BA in politics and sociology, a passion for social justice, and a conviction that change starts with community. I live in ōtautahi with my beautiful boyfriend, but grew up in Taranaki and have long been involved with the Retreat's mahi in some form or another. Having seen, time and again, its positive impact on those who solicit its services, I'm indescribably excited now to be a member of staff here.
I work 'behind the scenes', scouring the latest, most reputable research to understand how the Retreat can better deliver its services, particularly through the medium of various tailored programmes, which I have a hand in developing. You could say that graphic design is my passion; part of my role includes developing promotional material for Retreat programmes in various formats. I also work to identify training opportunities to better our staff knowledge and understanding of the work we do, and to prepare funding requests where necessary. My teenage years were riddled with an array of mental health struggles, culminating in eventual self-acceptance of my rainbow identity. I thus hope to provide the Retreat with valuable insight on the experiences and needs of my LGBT+ whānau, as well as rangatahi in general who are fighting their own mental health battles - I am passionate about addressing the unprecedented rates of depression and anxiety amongst my generation.
Nau mai, haere mai, Leroy and Zach - we welcome you hearts full to the brim with delight for the difference that you are making, and that you have chosen to step into this waka.
Anxiety can be a relentless presence, and can affect absolutely any of us. Your story is not just yours; it's a beacon of hope for others who may be facing similar challenges. We invite you to share your journey with anxiety with us by email.
Your experience, insights, and triumphs can offer hope and inspiration to those navigating their own path through anxiety. Whether you've found effective coping strategies, tackled a particular fear, or simply wish to share, your story matters. On our 12 Hours of Mahi Day, many people shared their experience - on air, and one-on-one. Some awesome people also shared their journey in recorded messages, and by filling in our web-form. THANK YOU!
By sharing, you not only help us to reduce the stigma surrounding our mental well-being, but also remind others that they are not alone in their journey. Remember that you are part of a supportive community that believes in understanding and empathy. Drop us an email and let your words make a difference. Let us know if you're open to your story being shared in our next newsletter (it can be anonymous) - or if you're simply keen to share. Your story may be the encouragement someone needs to seek help, find strength, or simply know that they are not alone.
You may also be interested in our buddied journaling. On our secure platform, you can simply unpack the story of your day / week / the thing that just happened. You have a 'journal buddy' alongside you to reflect and respond to your journaling, and to encourage you. Many people find it immeasurably helpful; some people journal daily, and some, just when they need to. There's no right or wrong. Drop us a message if you're keen to know more.
One such story, shared with kind permission:
Thank you for 12 hours of Mahi for our Rangatahi. I have had anxiety since I was 11. I have never heard it understood and talked about as it was on the radio today. I listened all day. I felt un-alone and understood. Anxiety is a physical and a mental nightmare for me. I can't wait for the Centre to open and to have somewhere to go. Love from Becky
For Your Reflection...
An excerpt from "It Takes a Village: Reflecting on the power of community."
Ten thousand or so years ago, humans lived hunter-gatherer style lives, subsisting on raw meat and ancient grains (alongside a hearty dose of forages). This is the diet our stomachs evolved to digest - this is the prime form of consumption. So dictates the philosophy of the Paleo diet, at least. Proponents of intermittent fasting will advance a similar claim: that humans spent long periods without food while they hunted, thus we should do the same.
It's not my place to query into the validity of these claims. But if the history of human practices have any bearing or importance on our modern lives, then one that particularly deserves our attention is the importance of community.
We humans have relied upon one another for survival since time immemorial. It's not a practice that died out 10,000 years ago, either. The history of all hitherto society is the history of collectivism – we would not exist without it.
Naturally, just because a practice has a lengthy history, does not necessarily mean that it should prevail - tradition is not always beneficial. But whilst the relatively new disciplines of exercise science and nutrition cannot definitively prove that our digestive capabilities have lain dormant for 10,000 years, I can say with confidence that no person has ever survived without the help of others.
Interested in reading the rest? Head to our Ko-fi page for the full article.
THANK YOU again, to everyone who supported our crowd-funding campaign, and who pitched in to make our 12 Hours of Mahi for Rangatahi day such a success.