My Agency

Eastern Suburbs Youth Trust(ESYT)

• The agency is set up to work within a specific geographical location of the Eastern and Southern Suburbs of Wellington.

• Our vision is to support and enable workers• Our first stage has been to target Berhampore and

Strathmore using different strategies• I have been employed by the Trust, as a Youth

Worker to specifically focus on youth within the area

You and Your Agency

• I have been employed by the Trust to be one of 2 youth workers on the ground. As youth workers the 2 of us started out working very closely together, in the same locations.

• As the youth work has developed and as we have gained credibility within these areas, our roles still meet the goal of working with young people within these suburbs.

You and Your Agency• We started journeying closely together, now

as we have grown in skills and confidence and credibility we have taken on more responsibility in our own rights.

• Over the past 2 years I have become more aware of my own personal strengths (thanks to strengthfinders) :

• Activator, Communicator, Futuristic, Adaptability & Positivity

You and Your Agency

• We are both targeting young people, mainly male. It has involved us interacting with them within the community and at school.

Where I do my Youth Work

• My role has been diverse…Schools: Intermediate-Aged young people and a group of College young peopleMentoring: I have been running a weekly mentoring group for young adults , some became leadersHome-work Centre: Te Huarahi has begun a homework Centre for young people in the area

Where I do my Youth Work

• Throughout the past 2 years I have specifically targeted young people living in Strathmore. I’ve enjoyed it

• the individuals are important but what long-term solutions can we create that will really impact the young guys I work with?

• Recently, in an effort to be as effective as possible in Strathmore I have become actively involved in the Strathmore community Centre.

• ESYT is helping to coordinate meetings for agencies wanting to be involved in Strathmore

• Working well, looking at big picture and working with young people

Where I do my Youth Work• The issues these young people face are big and I alone can’t

solve them – think big & partner with agencies• Issues the young people are facing are things like….

Difficult home lives: separated parents, fatherless homes, violence, overcrowdingCultural differences: ethnic diversity impacts the communityStealing, Drinking, Violence

• Teenage parenting• Low self-esteem• Gangs

Lack of respect: for women, people in authority, others personal property

My Role & Function

1. Promoting youth identity and participation• Creating a sense of home for them within our community• Knowing each by name.

Creating a sense of group• Creating a cool vibe, all cultures feel welcome • Helping them to grow in understanding of where they have

come from and how it impacts them now, and give them an awareness of how it will influence their futureBuilding of understanding of Te Reo in these young people

My Role & Function

2. Supporting youth in crisis• Create Te Huarahi into a safe place to drop-in,

ensuring we have safe practices.Be available as youth worker to listen and assist

• Develop a good referral network as required• Have really personal accountability and supervision

My Role & Function

3. Building quality relationships• Time spent with the young people in drop-in times

Even within a larger group of young people find time to hang with individualsGetting to know and remember young people’s personal circumstances

• Follow through and assist young people outside of ‘programmed 'events

My Role & Function

4. Empowering youth• Intervene and assist with school as required• Facilitate family meetings as required, with more

experienced people to assistFacilitating others to provide free Tuition to aid getting NCEA Teach skills they can use themselves e.g guitar, bass, drums

• Raise expectations and journey with the young people into carrying responsibility

• Assistance in dealing with addictions, behavioural issues• Leadership development

My Role & Function

5. Developing community• Help with Pancake Breakfasts and Homework

CentreHoliday and Saturday drop-insOvernighters with the lads

• Connecting with groups meeting to address needs in Strathmore

• Development of an annual Street BBQWorking with Strathmore community base

My Youth Work Skills• Identifying needs• From Nik:

Everyone’s individual needs can leave me pretty de-energised, and when they are all piling up, the needs don’t inspire me to pour a whole lot of energy into trying to help everyone individually.But I really enjoy identifying needs in a wider community, Some feel overwhelmed but it does the opposite for me. When the picture seems too big and difficult for others, my positivity and futuristic sweep to the front and it becomes exciting for me. My activator kicks into gear and I initiate ideas. I’m getting to do that at the moment and it’s really fun. I’m meeting with groups meeting to create some significant change in Strathmore, I’m loving my Agency’s connection with this.

My Youth Work Skills• From ESYT:

Nik has a large perspective and can think really big.Right now this is a real asset for ESYT and he is helping us to be at the forefront of some new initiatives within the Strathmore area. It means that as he thinks big, he can discuss, identify broad issues and needs within a wider community, yet somehow still keep a focus on the individuals. This is a powerful combination, and will be made so effective because of his wife Bekz. They are a brilliant combination that remember the individuals within the bigger picture.

• Encouraging participation• Challenging behaviour

My Youth Work Skills

• Setting goalsFrom Nik:

• Goals for the sake of goals don’t always inspire me.If I’m sold on why they are there and believe in the cause, I’m in.Recently, I’ve been responsible for massive events.We’ve met all deadlines, Met all goals. Interestingly enough I got more assignments and work done in the middle of the huge projects (e.g a Street BBQ) than when I had no distractions.

My Youth Work Skills• From ESYT:

Nik has an amazing ability to think beyond the now.He is energised by seeing what can be but needs to know things are in place to get there. Goals are really effective ways of aiming towards something. Nik has real drive and can juggle huge things at once. Instead of this wearing him out or overloading him - it tends to leave him energised and often he will get even more done during these very active times. Goals really work as a motivator for Nik. To get the most from Nik and to set him up to win he needs to see what the goals are for and then be set free to get them done in a way that works for him - not with a step-by-step to do list.

• Agreements• Monitoring

My Youth Work Skills

• EvaluatingFrom Nik:Reflecting and evaluating are fun for me if they involve others, and if it’s so we can work towards being better, stronger , more effective.I host a debrief, weekly in my home after a youth event and it’s great to help others own what they do, and evaluate on how to strengthen things. We do it each week and I look forward to it.

My Youth Work Skills• From ESYT:

Nik is very strong on evaluating how things are going and appears committed to evaluating things well.He is consistent in communicating well with ESYT, meets weekly with a Trustee for supervision. He practices and promotes reflection and evaluation with his own practices but is committed to enabling others to do the same.Because of this, the things he does go well and are then built on the next time. E.gs of this are the community Street BBQ. He and his wife and their young adult team have facilitated 3 now. Seeing how they developed into what was run last weekend has been phenomenal. He is a real asset to ESYT in this area, and we will end up a lot more effective and larger because of Nik and his input.

• Supporting• Advocacy• Mediation

Significant Issues I faced:

• Being one of the first youth workers on the trust – initiating agency structure, policy and procedures

Significant Issues I faced…

• Ethical dilemmas – “if I tell you this, do you promise not to tell anyone?”

Significant Issues I faced…

• Starting new initiatives without a solid agency reputation – difficult to go through the Strathmore Community Base

Significant Issues I faced…

• Knowing the boundaries between church ministry and community ministry when they are supervised by the same person

Future Youth Work Practice

• Mission theology - RAP training – Code of Ethics – YDSA

• Personal Changes – being able to reflect more; also trying to juggle family;