The Glen Innes Playcentre is an Early Childhood Centre run as a parent co-operative, that provides free early childhood education for children from birth to school age with a strong emphasis on child development and parenting skills.

The play centre will receive a grant of $508.00 to enable one of its members to participate in a training workshop. The training will enable Glen Innes Playcentre to establish a programme called Supporting Parents Alongside Children’s Education (SPACE). SPACE is designed to support and develop the skills of first time parents.

Save the Children believes in building the capacity of partner organisations in order to help them better deliver their services to children, young people and their families. SPACE is designed to support and engage first-time parents from a range of social and cultural communities to enable better knowledge and skills about their children’s development and needs.

It is expected that this project will encourage participation and knowledge in early childhood education and give parents and family the support and skills required to nurture their children.

The Muaupoko Tribal Authority, Levin

Researching Kotahitanga Rangitahi O Te Taitoko

The Muaupoko Tribal Authority is a Child Youth and Family approved Iwi Social Service Provider established in 1997 and working in the Levin area. The organisation has been granted $3 630.00 to undertake a consultative research examining the high participation of youth in the Kotahitanga Rangitahi O Te Taitoko - the coming together of youth of Taitoko.

The Kotahitanga Rangatahi O Te Taitoko is a youth led initiative run by the Muaupoko Tribal Authority since September 2004. The project began with the coming together of 10 young people who wanted to create safe and responsible, alternative entertainment for themselves and their peers on Friday nights. The idea has become very popular with numbers increasing to 35. The grant from Save the Children will enable the young people and their mentors to research the reasons why the project is appealing to young people, assess needs of the youth and enable the organisation to chart a way forward in responding to the identified needs with a vision of replication in the Horowhenua.

Save the Children supports this project because of the participatory research methods which involve the use of youth focus groups and a consultative process of ascertaining the future needs of the project. The methods promote active participation of youth and endeavour to retain youth ownership of the project. This project is a good example of adults learning from young people. It presents an opportunity for youth empowerment and is an accolade to young people aged between 9 to 16 years who have voluntarily stepped forward to make a difference in their community by attempting to find fun ways of coming together in a non threatening atmosphere.

The Waihi Community Resource Centre

The Y’Hee Uth XL (Waihi Youth Excel) publicity campaign

The project was formed in April 2005 in response to recognition by youth of the lack of safe and socially friendly activities for young people in the area. The project also addresses the increasing lack of respect for elders and the environment in their community. It received a grant of $1188.00.

Save the Children is happy to associate with social change makers like the Waihi Youth who, under the mentorship of adults, not only identify their needs and challenges but also begin to act on them. Before approaching Save the Children for a grant the Y’Hee Uth XL youth had already raised a considerable amount of money on their own for the purchase of a laptop for the project.

Youthline Palmerston North

Website: www.youthline.co.nz

Capacity development for volunteer youth counsellors

This project is part of Youthline Palmerston North providing a comprehensive youth centred service in the Manawatu region for the past 30 years. Key services have included a telephone support service, predominantly run for and by youth and a range of community services where youth volunteers play key roles.

Funding amounting to $5,418.00 from the Small Grants Fund will enable Youthline Palmerston North to develop the capacity of volunteer youth to work as skilled telephone counsellors or helpers in Youthline community programmes.

Save the Children endeavours to establish partnerships that are sustainable and have enduring effects for children. Staff training will undoubtedly raise the esteem of the young volunteers while simultaneously improving the quality of service delivered by the organisation.

The National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges

Web site: www.womensrefuge.org.nz

The Tamariki– addressing domestic violence project

This project has been granted $4,500.00. This is a child focused domestic violence programme. The Women’s Refuge is an umbrella organisation of 50 Women's Refuges around Aotearoa/New Zealand.

The Tamariki project will operate nationally and is intended to raise more awareness on domestic violence and its effects as well as assist children living under such circumstances.

Save the Children supports this project because it focuses on the delivery of the United Nations
Convention of the Rights of the Child, Protocol Article 19 that protects children from violence and abuse.

Children are empowered to build positive relationships, to learn non-violent methods of conflict resolution and are assisted in developing safety plans and support networks.

Centrecare Counselling Waimate

Library Resources

To support the establishment of a library Centrecare Counselling has received a grant of $967.00 from the Small Grants Fund to be used for library resources.

Centrecare Counselling is a registered and approved service providing mental and/or emotional healthcare to those in the Waimate community. The children and parents using this service have identified a need for a resource centre covering a wide range of topics from special health needs through to parenting issues.

Save the Children appreciates the need to provide children, young people and families with information resources that they otherwise could not afford. Centrecare underscores the importance of children and young people accessing resources that could help them without parental knowledge, for example in a situation of parental abuse.

The Federation of Ethnic Councils

Website: www.nzfec.org.nz/youth

For a National Forum on Mental Health and Wellbeing for Refugee and Migrant Children and Young People.

The Federation of Ethnic Councils is an umbrella organisation for the 13 ethnic councils working throughout New Zealand. The goal of the organisation is to advocate for and represent the issues and challenges of multicultural communities. It received $3,075.00 from the Small Grants Fund.

The grant will contribute to the preparatory stages of a National Forum on Mental Health and Wellbeing for Refugee and Migrant Children and Young People to take place in 2006. A significant aim of this national forum is to develop the capacity of young people in the refugee and migrant communities, promote their mental health and well-being and create better understanding between migrants and their new society.

Save the Children supports the project in recognition of New Zealand's multicultural society and the need for tolerance and understanding amongst people of different cultures.

Kelston Community Trust, Auckland.

Training and supporting parents as first tutors

The Kelston Community Trust was established in 2000, by a range of concerned local community leaders, to support low socio-economic families with parenting and school support for their children.

The Small Grants Fund grant of $1431.00 will make it possible for parents identified in this predominantly Maori and Pacific community to be trained as tutors in the Home Interaction Programme for Pre-school and Year One Youngsters (HIPPY). The Kelston HIPPY programme is designed to support parents as first teachers and to enable children to confidently embrace the challenges of school learning.

Save the Children promotes the Kelston Community Trust’s the principles of child development especially parental involvement in their children’s education, and instilling children with coping strategies in the school environment.

KIDPOWER TEENPOWER FULLPOWER Trust,

Website: www.kidpower.org

Model Statellite Centre to teach personal safety, Waitakere, Auckland

KIDPOWER TEENPOWER FULLPOWER is a charitable trust working with children, youth and families in the Nelson area. The central focus of the trust is to teach effective personal safety skills that will enable children to stop, report and avoid all forms of bullying and abuse. The organisation aims to provide affordable culturally sensitive and appropriate training to local instructors who will in turn offer improved services for children, youth and families on matters relating to personal safety, bullying and all forms of child abuse. KIDPOWER TEENPOWER FULLPOWER utilises comprehensive role-plays and body memory training in its teaching. The organisation works with girls and boys of all physical and mental abilities and across social and cultural groups.

A grant of $4455.00 from the Small Grants Fund is to enable the establishment of a model satellite centre based in Waitakere, Auckland and training of two Maori instructors, a centre manager and approximately 300 children by the end of 2006.

Save the Children is funding KIDPOWER TEENPOWER FULLPOWER Trust because it is a New Zealand grown child safety and protection from abuse programme that local communities and law enforcement agencies consider worthy of replication. The project is child centred and its success is driven by the response and active participation of children. The long-term goal of KIDPOWER TEENPOWER FULLPOWER is to ensure that its often life changing self esteem and violence, abuse, teasing, bullying and abduction prevention skill building services become widely and equitably available to as many children as possible so that they can stay safe, act wisely, and believe in themselves.

Te Runanga O Raukawa, Palmerston North.

Website: www.raukawa.iwi.nz

Youth centred research

Te Runanga o Raukawa is a Maori tribal authority covering the Manawatu, Horowhenua and Kapiti regions. Established in 1988, it is governed by 24 hapu or sub tribes and provides health, employment, justice and social services.

The Small Grants Fund award of $4500.00 is to enable the completion of youth or Rangitahi centred research through the Whaia o nga Rangatahi research initiative that is currently investigating the health and wellbeing of local Maori youth in the region. The goal of this project is to appoint a Rangitahi/Youth leader (18-20 years) to develop Rangitahi/Youth perspectives on the research findings.

Save the Children supports this initiative, as it is a research project designed to respond directly to Maori youth issues in a way that directly engages Rangitahi/youth participation in research. This includes the way research is interpreted and its relevance for Maori Rangitahi/Youth in the region. In this way, the interest of youth and the interests of Maori communities are held as paramount.

It is expected that the Rangitahi/Youth research will help to develop health and wellbeing resources for Rangitahi/Youth in the community, write articles for journals and/or youth magazines on research and work with other Rangitahi/Youth researchers to present research findings at a conference.

Riding for the Disabled Association, Timaru.

Training, capacity development for tutors and riding skills and therapy for children

The Timaru chapter of Riding for the Disabled Association has been providing support and therapy for youth with disabilities since 1974. The goal of the association is to encourage communication, social skills, independence and self-esteem.

The grant of $2033.00 from the Small Grants Fund is to enable capacity building of Riding for the Disabled Timaru through a range of initiatives including the professional development of existing volunteers, volunteer instructors workshops, the purchasing of new equipment and the running costs of a volunteer day. The goal being that Riding for the Disabled will be able to respond more effectively to the needs of children and youth.

Save the Children is supporting this project in order to strengthen the capacity of this organisation by providing skills training important to the interactive service and support to youth with disabilities that Riding for the Disabled Timaru offers.

BIRTHRIGHT, Ashburton.

Website: www.birthright.org.nz

Training volunteers to become Family Visitors

Birthright Ashburton has been working to support, strengthen and advocate for one-parent families in the Ashburton area since 1967. Key tasks include counselling and social work, support for parents and development programmes aimed at children.

The Small Grants Fund grant of $657.00 is to enable the training of an increased number of volunteers to become Family Visitors, a key role in supporting single parents and their children. The current Family Visitors manage 79 families and 146 children, a high level of work given the diverse needs of these families. The increased number of trained Family Visitors is intended to ease the workload on staff contributing to a more responsive service.

Save the Children supports this project because of its focus on the development and support needs of the child within families who may be vulnerable to change, and who often lack family support of their own.

It is hoped that the project will result in better service through increases in numbers and adequate training of Family Visitors. At the end of the grant period Birthright Ashburton should boast of Family Visitors and families with significantly increased knowledge on a range of issues related to child development and effective listening and communication skills and strategies that enable families to manage their short and long term goals.

Dove Hawkes Bay Inc, Youth Service

Establishing a resource library for youth services in stopping violence - $599.87

The organisation is a member of the National Network of Stopping Violence Services and specialises in maximising the safety of women and children. Save the Children New Zealand considers the Library resources project a critical enduring reference facility that has wider benefits outside its primary target group, including youth, families and social workers in the area and to other networks that this organisation is associated with. Examples of books to be purchased are, Something is Wrong at My house, Confident Teens and Raising a Moody Child.

Collaborative for Research and Training in Youth Health and Development Trust

A two-day workshop to provide training in the research skill of facilitating focus groups with young people aged 10-25 years - $2210.00.

Based in Christchurch this is a newly established organisation that believes “a healthy and vibrant youth population is a valuable asset now and in the future”. Participants will learn the focus group method and how to market their skills to researchers wishing to find opinions of your people. The notion of cultivating young people to participate in decision making and empowering them to respond to matters affecting their lives is a rights issue central to the aspirations of the New Zealand Programme.

Global Education Centre (GEC) www.justfocus.org.nz http://www.globaled.org.nz

A 2 day Pilot Global Camp.

GEC provides training and resources to teachers, teacher trainees, students, youth workers and community groups in Aotearoa New Zealand - $2674.13

A non-profit organisation providing services to the formal and informal Education sector around Global Education. The organisation is part of the Development Resource Centre along with Dev-Zone, which provides information services to development practitioners and universities.

The Pilot Global Camp will promote young leadership and voice by bringing together 12 youth to prepare them to coordinate and support regional networks of the Just Focus Project. This youth led project seeks to strengthen adult-youth partnerships, impart project development and writing skills associated with web based networks and the maintenance of regional networks. The super 12 should ultimately be able to support the expanding Just Focus network and lead their youthful communities in socio-political and economic discussions relevant to New Zealand and the global village.

Rape Crisis Auckland http://www.rapecrisis.org.nz/

The BodySafe Programme that teaches young people about rape and sexual abuse - $5620.00

Rape crisis focuses on the prevention of sexual violence and works to eliminate rape and sexual abuse through education and community work. The organisation also supports survivors of sexual abuse and their whanau/friends though a telephone crisis-line.

Save the Children New Zealand is pleased to support Rape Crisis to address a need identified by the students, families and staff of Manurewa High School. The project demonstrates young people’s awareness of health and social issues related to rape and sexual abuse. BodySafe illustrates the students’ desire to take responsibility for their own protection and to draw their community’s awareness to it.

Presbyterian Support Upper South Island

Contribution towards registration costs for 4 social workers and counsellors who will attend the “Becoming attached: Assessing and Addressing Child Attachment Problems” training workshop in Christchurch - $640.00

A Christian social service agency working for a just society . The funding for this project comes from a special allocation in the Small Grants Fund as a result of a legacy to Save the Children Mid Canterbury Branch work.

Save the Children New Zealand considers that it is in the best interest of the child that staff in education, mentoring and counselling services be well trained. Staff development has long-term value not only to the staff but also to the children served and whole communities.

Click below for previous years' recipients:

Funding Recipients 2004

Funding Recipients 2003

Funding Recipients 2002