Good Cents

The Challenge
Porirua, like many communities, has too many families trapped in a crippling cycle of debt.  Good Cents Porirua, an initiative established by Wesley Community Action (WCA), view this as a problem for the whole Porirua community that requires a whole community response.

The Response
Their first step was to set up their unique and successful budgeting programme, Good Cents, which offers more than financial literacy; it also empowers participants to take control of their spending and see that they really can have a debt-free future.  WCA’s Porirua Manager, Makerita Makapelu, says, “I haven’t come across a situation where they can’t take some control over debt, but it does take some sacrifices and people have to be willing to do that.”

Good Cents Co-ordinator, Matt Crawshaw, says the programme has led to much bigger thinking: “We are trying to work collaboratively across our community and consider how we move Porirua beyond unsustainable cycles of debt.  This has included talking to the people in the lending sector because we are not experts at lending – they are.  If we create a common conversation then we may begin to see what responsible lending might look like and explore how existing groups can find solutions for their own people.  We also want to change the way debt is portrayed in the media.  One way is to shift the discourse to positive stories about people moving out of debt – a concept we call “bright spots.”

How the Todd Foundation helped
Three years of funding from the Todd Foundation has enabled WCA to fund a coordinator and develop the Good Cents programme in collaboration with the community.  “Good Cents is an exploratory kinda of initiative, and Todd Foundation staff are always coming back to us with ideas, suggestions and connections.  We feel really honoured by the truly respectful relationship that they have been willing to have.”

What they say about it
A clear endorsement of the programme come from Otu, a recent graduate:  “The Good Cents programme has changed my life for the better.  I always thought I was alone.  People in my situation don’t think there’s anyone else out there like us.  When I heard everyone telling their story, they were telling my story too.  I have told all my family and friends about it and what I’ve learnt, and encouraged them to do it too.”

Wellstop

The Challenge
How do we best work with traumatised children and youth who engage in inappropriate sexualised behaviour, but for whom traditional counselling doesn’t work?  “Evidence-based brain research shows that traumatised kids are always operating in the fear state- they have no idea what a state of relaxation feels like.  These children and young people have to learn how to relax before they can learn new behaviour,” says Lesley Ayland, Clinical Manager of Wellstop in Wellington.

The Response
Wellstop’s name sums up the organisation’s two goals:  to stop sexual abuse and sexually inappropriate behaviour and to help these children and youth develop “positive lives that reflect wellness.”

Lesley says, “Because the brain can’t absorb information when it is highly stressed, we needed to find techniques and resources to bring into our agency to help these traumatised children and youth.  We discovered we had to look outside of mainstream research and literature to find answers.”  They found a range of alternative and holistic therapies and techniques, including biofeedback technology, which have led to some amazing results.

“These children don’t have control over their impulses.  Biofeedback gives them a sense of internal control that they’ve never had before by tangibly showing them how tense they are all the time, so they can gradually understand how it feels to relax and learn calming techniques.”  Other successful techniques include play, art and drama therapy.  Treatment also involves working closely with the child’s family or whanau, and occationally, key people at their school.  “It’s important to educate their parents and caregivers about trauma and how the brain works so they can understand their children and respond to them in a caring manner.”

How the Todd Foundation helped
The Todd Foundation provided funding for research and development to pilot these new techniques.  “We really want to thank them – they got us going.  The techniques work and we have created an education package for parents.  We will be sharing our findings with our sector this year.”

What they say about it
“They are just awesome,” says a mother of two boys who both attended Wellstop.  “I was really nervous about going but it was not what I expected – it was so much better!  My boys really benefited and I can’t say enough good things about it”

see http://www.wellstop.org.nz/

Great Fathers

The Challenge
When Dave Owens discovered that a baby’s experience in their first year of life creates their emotional foundation for life, he knew he had to spread the word to other fathers. “This was the most important information that I’d ever come across – and if I didn’t know it, most other men didn’t know it”.

The Response
Dave created Great Fathers, which caters to new dads by using three tools.  The first is a Dvd called In your hands:  A Gift for New Dads, which is a movie featuring NZ musicians – Tiki Tane, Warren Maxwell and Sean Donnelly (SJD) – talking about their experience of becoming dads.  It also features six songs, a booklet with photos and a comic strip.  The second tool is three sessions Dave does in antenatal classes in conjunction with a childbirth education provider.  The third is the Great Fathers website, which offers more information and resources.

Dave says, “Men are so important to children; they help them reach their potential.  Most of us don’t understand how vital this role is and I want to change that.  To be effective, the information has to be presented in a way that people can painlessly understand and use it.  Music, pictures, comics and conversations are more effective ways of reaching men than books or articles”

How The Todd Foundation Helped
Two years of funding has allowed Dave to experiment with different methods of reaching new dads, produce the DVD and website and start working with antenatal groups.  Dave says, “Working along existing organisations, we’ve already reached into thousands of homes.  Also, the staff at the Foundation are willing to have a personal relationship with you; I never felt like I was ‘just an application form’”.

What they say about it
“Dave is leading the way, not just in New Zealand but worldwide”, says Emily Willan, President of the New Plymouth Parent Centre.  “There needs to be a shift in parenting education – it can and should be a 50/50 role and we are missing out by not including fathers.  Childbirth education should cover baby care for both parents if it’s going to impact on communities.  By including Dave’s classes, I believe we are having a positive effect on the community and the way that people think about parenting.  Our dads always say ‘I can’t believe this hasn’t always happened.’ ”

see www.greatfathers.org.nz

ReGeneration

The Challenge
How do we assist young leaders to make positive social change?  Billy Matheson, founder of ReGeneration realised that the best way to begin was by providing space for young leaders to connect to each other.  “These young people have seen the connection between environmental and social issues and citizenship, and recognise that change is created by collaboration.”

The Response
ReGeneration is a nationwide network of young people from around New Zealand.  Launched in February 2009, it provides an online peer-to-peer space plus regular networking events for people who don’t necessarily consider themselves leaders, but are leading.  “We began by touring the country, visiting schools and community organisations.  Since then we have convened a regular series of ReGeneration workshops and regional youth leadership events, or ‘Youth Jams’.  At our workshops we meet literally hundreds of amazing young New Zealanders who are looking for that illusive combination of support and challenge neccessary to step into the adult world.”

“These young people are globally aware and ecologically literate.  Their common ground is their own agency and belief that ‘I can do something about this thing I care about’.  They also get the opportunity to hear older people talk about their journeys, including the mistakes they made along the way.  It’s important that they hear someone more experienced say: ‘Pick yourself up and dust yourself off.  I had that experience too so don’t give up”.

ReGeneration in Northland 2011
 

Our Northland from Rick Zwaan on Vimeo.

How the Todd Foundation helped
Todd Foundation funding has provided ReGeneration with funds to cover operating costs and salaries so that Billy can work fulltime on growing the organisation.  “The Todd Foundation has stepped in to fill a need that, for organisations like ours, is hard to fill:  we do not have tangible outcomes that are easy to report on.  It’s also wonderful to be listened to, not bombarded with advice, and they are always willing to be used as a sounding board for ideas.”

What they say about it
“What I love about ReGeneration is how it works to bring together all of these different groups- environmental, social, creative, community – because the sort of crises and problems we face are incredibly complex and interrelated,” says Dunedin member Chrissy Hamill.  “ReGeneration fills a niche for young people who need a space to talk about how to change things – it’s daunting trying to fix the world!”

see www.ReGeneration.org.nz

Teamwork at People First

The challenge

People First is led and directed by people with intellectual disabilities and aims to ‘empower and support people with intellectual disabilities to be strong and valued individuals in New Zealand’.

The response

People First’s regional office in Christchurch is run by three intellectually disabled adults, who are supported by their trainer and assistant, Pam Shanks. The three office staff work part time and, along with other People First members, sit on advisory boards for organisations like Canterbury District Health Board and Waimakariri District Council, run courses about rights and choices for people with intellectual disabilities, speak at schools and conferences, write reports and newsletters and run meetings.

“People with intellectual disabilities are part of the community like everyone else, and need to be absolutely included and accepted for who they are,” says Pam. “The more our members are out there, the more people realise just how much people with intellectual disabilities can do.”

How the Todd Foundation helped

Two years’ funding from the Todd Foundation ensures that the three office trainees have the training and support they need to run their own organisation. “This funding is very important because it gives our members a chance to contribute,” says Pam. “It enables us to put into practice our motto – ‘nothing about us without us’.”

What the trainees say about it:

“I get to know people and work out how I can help them understand and speak up for their rights. It’s quite a joy,” says Stewart Haig, one of the three office trainees. “I’ve also been up to Wellington to lobby government for things like schooling and wheelchair access. We stand up in meetings and talk, and we write reports. My confidence has grown so much since joining People First.”

Pam agrees. “Stewart has so much to say and like many of our People First members, he is very dedicated and has a strong social conscience. With their hard work, they break down the barriers and stigmas and are great role-models for the younger ones.”

The Great Start Team

The challenge

The Taita community in Wellington’s Hutt Valley has set itself a goal of becoming ‘a strong, caring community that notices, celebrates and nurtures children’ – not through adding more provider-client services but by building connections and reciprocity in the community so that everyone helps each other.

The response

The process began with Barnardos staff knocking on a thousand doors to ask people in the community what they wanted. “Communities aren’t broken,” says Manager Karen Clifford, “but sometimes they need a breath of fresh air and, for those who are isolated or not heard, the chance to come forward, have their say, build connections and support each other.”

And coming forward they are, with projects like community gardens, a time bank, markets, playgroups, parent support, collaborative networks of community groups and advice for business start-ups all blossoming within the community.

“A great example is our local park,” says Karen. “Families didn’t go there because it was used for selling drugs and all the play equipment had been removed. Our kids went to the council to ask that the park be rebuilt – and the council was so impressed that the kids were asked to design it! Even the prisoners at Rimutaka got involved by creating carvings for us. It’s now a real centre for families, and our kids are so proud of themselves.”

How the Todd Foundation helped

Three years of funding for project coordination from the Todd Foundation means that “we can keep going and keep trying new things,” says Karen. “But,” she adds, “it’s more than that. What we’re doing here is different and brave and not everyone gets it. The Todd Foundation’s vote of confidence in our work was really important to us and the community.”

What they say about it

“It’s about being a good neighbour – or being part of a big family,” says solo mum Helen Hamilton. “I started out by providing volunteer child care while refugee parents took English classes, and now I’m part of organising the time bank. People don’t want handouts; they have their pride. This way everyone knows that what they do has value and everyone can contribute. And I’m modelling to my daughters that it’s OK to ask for help and to offer it – to be an active part of the community.”

WestREAPs Whakamana

What is it?

Partnership Funding provides significant financial support for five years, for any purpose that meets the recipient’s vision. It’s offered to three to five previous grant recipients per year who have similar goals and a willingness to work together. The Todd Foundation also provides support for professional development, site visits, research and evaluation.

Why are we doing this?

United States research (from Grantmakers for Effective Organisations and others) indicates three key ways in which funders can be more effective:

• Provide more untagged funding
• Allocate more multi-year grants
• Build better relationships with the organisations we fund and a better understanding of the communities we serve.

Partnership Funding specifically addresses the first two recommendations, and we hope that its longer-term and collegial nature will help to address the third.

2009 focus: intergenerational learning

We offered Partnership Funding to four organisations in 2009, all of which combine early childhood learning with adult literacy, parenting and other skills. In keeping with the funding’s trust-based nature, all four organisations had received Todd Foundation funding previously, and were committed to working together on a shared vision of ‘families love to learn’. The recipients were:

• City of Manukau Education Trust (South Auckland)
• Far North Parent Mentoring (Northland)
• Tairawhiti REAP (Rural Education Activities Programme) (East Coast)
• WestREAP (West Coast).

“This funding is a dream come true,” says WestREAP’s Manager, Corrina Gestro-Best. “Covering five years, it gives us certainty to implement our long-term strategy, to respond and adapt this strategy to families’ needs, to provide permanent employment to the best possible people, and to undertake longitudinal studies.”

WestREAP’s ‘Whakamana te Whānau’ initiative is an example of the intergenerational learning this funding will support. Trained tutors help to establish a learning culture in the home by encouraging parents to read with their kids, and provide support for adult literacy and training in computer skills. “This sustainable, long-term commitment from the Todd Foundation means we can make a sustainable, long-term commitment to our community,” says Corrina.

iCAN Team

The challenge

The On the Edge Trust (OTE) provides youth-for-youth leadership development as well as opportunities for young people to use these skills to take action in their communities. “Young people’s energy is never-ending,” says 24-year-old Ben Irving, OTE’s founder and manager. “If we’re asked, if we have the opportunities – we give 110%.”

The response

OTE provides these opportunities through a combination of leadership forums for high school students and, most importantly, community action. Last year, when young leaders were challenged to come up with a low-cost, high-impact initiative to meet community needs in the greater Wellington area, they noted the increased demand on food banks, and ‘iCAN youCAN weCAN’ was born.

Why not get students collecting canned food? And how about beating the Guinness world record for the largest canned food structure as part of the process? The result: 20,000 students collected 54,725 cans of food, with the resulting structure (pictured) beating by 9,000 cans the previous record set by San Francisco architecture students. More importantly, recipient food banks received up to four months’ worth of food to distribute.

Since then, iCAN collections have been held in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin, and the concept has been extended to other community action projects, such as giving blood and running street collections.

How the Todd Foundation helped

The Todd Foundation provided three years’ funding to OTE to support its first-ever paid worker as well as administration costs. “We were doing good stuff before on a voluntary basis, but it’s hard to build momentum without someone full time to coordinate things. This funding has made it all possible – a really nice dream has become a larger reality,” says Ben.

What they say about it

“Because of my involvement with OTE, I’m much more confident about contributing my ideas and helping people; I understand what I can offer,” says 18-year-old Bryony Cunningham-Pow from Wellington East Girls’ College. “Getting involved with iCAN was an amazing thing. We jumped into groups, came up with ideas and we all worked to evolve it. And just about everyone wanted to be involved.”

Ben agrees. “We find something that is of real value to the community; add good music, good friends and a good feed – and anything is possible.”

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.