Auckland Women’s Centre

“Surround yourself with positive people, not people who judge you and put you down.”

That’s the advice that 18-year-old teen mum Jodie gives to other young parents, and positive people is exactly what she finds in the Auckland Women’s Centre (AWC) Teen Parenting team.

AWC provides pre- and post-natal classes, peer support, positive parenting events and groups, social work support, leadership development and other activities.

“We use a youth development approach,” says Team Leader Annalise, herself a former teen mum. “This means that we see young people as able to solve their own problems; we ‘do with’, we don’t ‘do to’. We also involve the dad, the wider family and other agencies, because by all working together and getting in early we can do great things.”

Jodie agrees. “They’re awesome – supportive, helpful, loving, accepting. This wasn’t how I had planned my life, but I have my son and he’s the best thing. And it’s not like my life has stopped, it’s just been put back a year or two.”

The Todd Foundation has provided two years’ funding to AWC for pre- and post-natal teen parent programmes. “Having more certainty of funding means we can focus more on generating real change,” says Annalise.

Caring for the carers

Like teen parent Jodie in the Auckland Women’s Centre the story, Ann wasn’t planning on bringing up small children at this stage of her life, but the 51-year-old grandmother currently has eight grandchildren living with her.

“When the kids first arrive, you think ‘This is crazy! What do I do? Where do I go? Is anyone out there?’ We didn’t even have clothes and blankets for them. But I heard about Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust NZ [GRG] and I was just blown away by their practical support and the way they know what you are going through. Now we have peace of mind, we’re not short of anything and I feel truly blessed to be here for my grandkids.”

Ann is one of more than 3,800 members of GRG, an organisation set up to support grandparents and kin carers as they raise the children their own sons and daughters are not able to raise.

“It’s a tough job,” says trustee Diane Vivian, who cares for two children of a former foster daughter. “We’re older, we’re often on low, fixed incomes, we grieve for what’s happened to our children and grandchildren. And sometimes the kids can be quite troubled; they have holes in their hearts wondering why their own mums can’t look after them. We’re here to support the carers to care for the kids.”

The Todd Foundation has provided three years of funding for a part-time field officer to work with families and some of the 49 GRG branches nationally.

Challenge, competition, glory

Most of us know New Zealand’s medal count at last year’s summer Olympics; less well known are the performance records of the talented and gifted students who compete in the ‘International Science Olympiads’.

Teams of high school students represent New Zealand in seven science-related competitions: Chemistry, Maths, Biology, Informatics, Geography, Physics and Future Problem Solving. And they regularly outperform teams from countries with populations and budgets that dwarf New Zealand’s.

“Challenge, competition, glory, beautiful mathematics, lifelong friendships.” That’s how Heather, a Maths Olympiad tutor, former Burnside High School student and silver medal winner describes the New Zealand programmes in which hundreds of Olympiad hopefuls participate – and from which teams of four to six are selected to compete internationally.

Dr Angela Sharples, the Biology Olympiad coordinator, adds, “These programmes create national and international communities of learners. Talented students can be quite isolated in school, but the competitions bring them together, challenge them, support them and show them the depth and range of science careers. Our economy needs more scientists and we need to reach all students who can benefit.”

Thanks to a three-year funding commitment from the Todd Foundation as part of our support for talented and gifted science students, the teams behind the seven competitions are now working together as ‘Science OlympiaNZ’ to provide opportunities to more students. “We’re passionate educators, and this is an exciting opportunity to make a difference,” says Angela.

“Brothers, not colours”

“I was a drunken bum with nothing to do,” says 17-year-old ex-gang member Merika. “When I first turned up at Streets Ahead, I was the only one wearing gang colours. So I left. But then I thought about it, got involved, dropped my colours. Now I’m a youth leader.”

It’s a story that Fa’amatuainu Wayne Poutoa also knows first hand. “When I saw our kids imitating my gang culture I knew it was time to change.” So Wayne left the Mongrel Mob, got a social work degree and started Streets Ahead in Waitangirua, near Porirua. “We‘re all born equal, but we’re not all born with equal opportunities,” he says.

Streets Ahead addresses this lack of opportunity by working with the young people and families who “every agency in this community knows”. Families are actively involved, and young people are expected to run the programme and be role models and mentors for others. As youth leader Abbiella says, “There are no Bloods or Crips here, everyone is just family.”

The Todd Foundation has provided some of the much-needed funding to further develop and support this initiative as part of our youth development focus. “We’ve received quite a lot of recognition and a few awards, but not much funding so far,” says Wayne.

Breaking the intergenerational crime cycle

When a parent is sent to prison, it’s often the children who suffer the real punishment – but one New Zealand organisation is determined to stop this happening.

International research shows that, without intervention, prisoners’ children are seven times more likely to end up in prison than any other children. They’re also more at risk of child abuse, neglect, illiteracy, crime, violence, incarceration, teen pregnancy, depression, premature death and substance addiction.

With the Todd Foundation’s support, PILLARS Inc will provide a mentoring programme for these young people and a wraparound service for their families/whänau – both aimed at breaking the intergenerational crime cycle.

Based in Christchurch and Auckland, PILLARS has helped many families/whänau to cope with the isolation and stigma that come with having a parent in prison. Its programmes help parents to address the issues behind offending and lead crime-free lives, and matches up to 90 children with volunteer mentors every year.

See www.pillars.org.nz

Stephen Tindall and John Todd sign up new foundation

When staff from the Todd Foundation and Tindall Foundation discovered that they were independently researching climate change and sustainability issues, there was an obvious next step – to work on these issues together.

The result is the Hikurangi Foundation, set up with funding of $500,000 from each of the two foundations over the next two years. Believed to be the first collaboration of this scale between private funders, the Foundation will initially focus on fostering debate and promoting practical action, particularly among communities and those engaged in land-based activities. It’s hoped that other funders will also wish to contribute to this worthy cause.

The new foundation has a board that includes many of New Zealand’s foremost authorities on climate change, and an executive director whose work in this area is internationally recognised. Hikurangi Foundation opened in mid-2008, and we look forward to the results of its work – practical solutions for a sustainable New Zealand.

See www.hikurangi.org.nz

The Diversity Works team

Disabled people and their families/whānau often depend on paid carers for their basic and wellbeing needs. A new initiative from the Diversityworks Trust aims to enrich these relationships by empowering disabled people to manage this support more effectively.

Social entrepreneur and Diversityworks director Philip Patston sees it this way: “In New Zealand, professionals are trained to work with disabled people, but we don’t train disabled people to manage those who support them so their needs are met appropriately and respectfully,” he says.

Philip and his team are planning an online resource (at www.disability.net.nz) that will help disabled people and their families/whānau to solve problems and share solutions to improve the effectiveness of disability support services. “It will help create a culture where disabled people have the confidence and ability to manage their disability support – and to participate and contribute fully in their communities.”

The Diversityworks team promotes the concept of ‘functional diversity’, where differences in function are seen as part of our natural diversity. Improving disability support effectiveness is one step towards this, and the Todd Foundation’s support will help make this step a reality.

See www.diversityworks.org.nz

Dress up day in the Far North

The Far North Parent Mentoring cluster is a group of 13 Northland schools trialling a new approach to educating pre-schoolers in isolated rural communities – taking pre-school learning into homes, and pre-school learners into school.

The initiative recognises that many rural families/whänau in the region have limited access to early childhood education. Factors such as low population density, low pre-schooler numbers, large travelling distances and poor financial circumstances mean that young children are not always getting the early learning they need.

Using a model trialled in South Auckland, the 13 primary schools invite families/whänau with children aged three to five to attend a once-weekly session of art, music, dance, drama and books in the school library. These sessions provide children and parents with peer support, skills and learning strategies. In addition, all children receive a weekly pack of English, Mäori or bilingual pre-school resources full of fun activities and helpful tips for parents – and they include simple learning tools such as scissors, crayons, felt pens, paper, pencils and play-dough.

Schools and families are delighted with the programme. Christine Gilmore, principal of Umawera School (64 kilometres south of Kaitaia), says, “If pre-schoolers can’t access formal early childhood education, we think this is the next best thing. We see the difference the programme makes when the children start school. It ensures that all children and their parents are comfortable with the school environment; they know the school staff and the students – and they are ready to learn.”

The initiative relies on the services of a part-time local facilitator – a role that’s possible thanks to funding from the Todd Foundation. The facilitators play an important part in helping each school community to provide high-quality, engaging resources and learning activities for their children.

Creating the Afghan lounge

New Zealand’s cultural and ethnic diversity will be celebrated in style in 2007, with complementary programmes on offer from the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu and Canterbury Museum.

The Museum will host Around the World in 30 Lounges, a unique and engaging exhibition that uses the family lounge as a window to ethnic communities and their home lives. Thirty communities in Canterbury will create typical lounges in the Museum, six at a time throughout March and April. Each lounge will have an accompanying audio guide and visitors will be able to walk from lounge to lounge, talking with people from each community and enjoying their hospitality.

Meanwhile, the Art Gallery is planning a series of public lectures and debates addressing biculturalism-multiculturalism, migration and national identity that will be both live and broadcast. This will be accompanied by exhibitions and a series of interactive weekend workshops to enable participants to learn about traditional crafts, skills and traditions from the different ethnic communities.

This project is one of four Arts and Cultural Heritage initiatives supported by the Todd Foundation’s Centenary Fund to “promote tolerance and build understanding of our cultural diversity”. We were impressed by this innovative concept and its collaborative approach and we look forward to the exhibition and events.

ECE on the East Coast

It may be one of most beautiful places on our planet, but geographical isolation and a transient population mean many people on the North Island’s East Coast experience low incomes and low educational achievements. Early childhood education in rural areas is often provided by informal and/or unlicensed playgroups and puna, and some areas offer no access to early childhood education at all.

However, things are looking up. With the Todd Foundation’s support, the Tairawhiti REAP (Rural Education Activities Programme) will employ a trained, culturally appropriate Early Childhood Education Advisor with a vehicle and educational resources to work with rural whanau and community-based early childhood groups. The Adviser will support, resource and up-skill communities and whanau to ensure rural tamariki receive a high-quality early childhood education. They’ll also help new groups to get established and support positive parenting – encouraging self-sufficiency and supportive learning environments for the tamariki of today and tomorrow.