May 1st, 2023
Starting the Puāwai 2023 journey
Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai
Nurture the seed and it will blossom
Puāwai, now in its fourth year, is part of the Leadership in Communities (LinC) family of programmes and is a nine-month experience for young people aged 15-18 focussed on strengths, identity and intersectionality. The journey is designed to connect and develop a diverse network of young leaders, innovators, disruptors, and drivers across the Waitaha region, and support them to contribute to their community.
There are five rōpū (small groups) of rangatahi from marginalised communities including Māori, Pasifika, Rainbow, Care-Experienced and Cross-Cultural. Each rōpū is supported by tuākana and kaiāwhina (mentors and advocates), who also identify as part of these respective communities. There is a strong focus on not only supporting the development of the rangatahi involved in Puāwai but also the tuākana and kaiāwhina who journey alongside them.
Puāwai 2023 recently kicked off with our first of seven hui, which was built around creating time and space for whanaungatanga and allowing the rangatahi to settle into the new space. A significant focus was facilitating connection not only within rōpū, but also across the wider group.
We were fortunate to be joined by Daisy Lavea-Timo who played a key role in the inception of Puāwai, and co-led the first iteration of the programme in 2020. Daisy is also the 2017 New Zealand Slam Poetry Champion, a 2020 Creative New Zealand NZ Leadership Scholar and has spoken and performed internationally. Daisy facilitated a senses poem activity, where each rōpū reflected on what it looks, tastes, feels, smells and sounds like to identify as part of their respective communities. This was a transformational experience for all rōpū, as they found joy and community in honouring their experiences and connecting over their similarities, and intersections of identity.
To be Māori, Pasifika, Rainbow, Care-Experienced, from another culture (Cross-Cultural)?
How can I help you understand who I am so that I can belong?
Here are the poems created and kindly shared by three of our rōpū.
In the next part of this journey of self-discovery, rangatahi unlock their unique talents using the CliftonStrengths tool.
Puāwai is generously funded by the Ministry of Youth Development, J.R.McKenzie Trust, Todd Foundation, Te Putahitanga, Wayne Francis Charitable Trust and the Ben Gough Family Foundation. You can read more about Puāwai here and keep up to date on instagram @puawai_youth
Ngā mihi,
Libby Davenport, Puāwai Evaluation Lead
You can also connect with stories of impact from across our Leadership Lab ecosystem by signing up for this monthly pānui (see bottom of www.leadershiplab.co.nz ), joining our Leadership Lab LinkedIn page and browsing our website. Thanks heaps for your interest.
May 1st, 2023
Starting the Puāwai 2023 journey
Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai
Nurture the seed and it will blossom
Puāwai, now in its fourth year, is part of the Leadership in Communities (LinC) family of programmes and is a nine-month experience for young people aged 15-18 focussed on strengths, identity and intersectionality. The journey is designed to connect and develop a diverse network of young leaders, innovators, disruptors, and drivers across the Waitaha region, and support them to contribute to their community.
There are five rōpū (small groups) of rangatahi from marginalised communities including Māori, Pasifika, Rainbow, Care-Experienced and Cross-Cultural. Each rōpū is supported by tuākana and kaiāwhina (mentors and advocates), who also identify as part of these respective communities. There is a strong focus on not only supporting the development of the rangatahi involved in Puāwai but also the tuākana and kaiāwhina who journey alongside them.
Puāwai 2023 recently kicked off with our first of seven hui, which was built around creating time and space for whanaungatanga and allowing the rangatahi to settle into the new space. A significant focus was facilitating connection not only within rōpū, but also across the wider group.
We were fortunate to be joined by Daisy Lavea-Timo who played a key role in the inception of Puāwai, and co-led the first iteration of the programme in 2020. Daisy is also the 2017 New Zealand Slam Poetry Champion, a 2020 Creative New Zealand NZ Leadership Scholar and has spoken and performed internationally. Daisy facilitated a senses poem activity, where each rōpū reflected on what it looks, tastes, feels, smells and sounds like to identify as part of their respective communities. This was a transformational experience for all rōpū, as they found joy and community in honouring their experiences and connecting over their similarities, and intersections of identity.
To be Māori, Pasifika, Rainbow, Care-Experienced, from another culture (Cross-Cultural)?
How can I help you understand who I am so that I can belong?
Here are the poems created and kindly shared by three of our rōpū.
In the next part of this journey of self-discovery, rangatahi unlock their unique talents using the CliftonStrengths tool.
Puāwai is generously funded by the Ministry of Youth Development, J.R.McKenzie Trust, Todd Foundation, Te Putahitanga, Wayne Francis Charitable Trust and the Ben Gough Family Foundation. You can read more about Puāwai here and keep up to date on instagram @puawai_youth
Ngā mihi,
Libby Davenport, Puāwai Evaluation Lead
You can also connect with stories of impact from across our Leadership Lab ecosystem by signing up for this monthly pānui (see bottom of www.leadershiplab.co.nz ), joining our Leadership Lab LinkedIn page and browsing our website. Thanks heaps for your interest.