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The Ōrewa community youth hub is expanding its programmes so it can reach more Hibiscus Coast youth in need of support, says Rodney District Community Sergeant Jon Williams.
The hub was set up earlier this year and has been running the Mana Up programme in partnership with Ōrewa and Whangaparāoa Colleges, and an alternate education option for youth who are outside the school system.
It is now developing the Kete programme to identify and work with youth and families who need more support and mentoring to encourage prosocial behaviour.
Williams and hub manager Kylah Meafua are working together to raise awareness in the community about the centre’s work.
“It’s important that we do something that is community driven and has community support, “ Williams says.
We are hoping to connect with other resources across the Coast so we can better support youth, he says.
One way this is happening is with the volunteers who work with youth in the physical educated based programmes. They include Paris Olympian Connor Bell, who grew up in Waitoki and now volunteers once a week at the centre.
After the Paris Olympic Games, Connor decided to study psychology at university,
“I really like learning about people, and I’m really interested in social psychology,” he says.
He was volunteering at the Salt charity shop when saw a flyer about volunteering for youth work, which aligned with what he wanted to do after the Olympics, he says.
At the hub, he acts as a youth mentor, assisting with the physical education programme and working with students who need some support and encouragement.
All the trainers have different experiences, and we use physical education as a medium to talk about socially positive behaviours, he says.
“For me, it’s about being able to inspire and have a positive influence. I really appreciated being surrounded by cool and inspiring people in my own life and that did a lot for me in terms of my academic and sporting success.”
