Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation is proud to support a range of new and existing initiatives as a further $375,000 in grants are made to organisations in Waihōpai (Invercargill) and Motupōhue (Bluff) as part of the Invercargill Initiative.
The following organisations were funded as part of the 2023 round.
Murihiku Young Parents Learning Centre is a teen parent unit in Southland. The $15,000 grant will support a series of one-day trips to all Murihiku Marae to build cultural knowledge and connection to culture for students.
Lighthouse Southland is a specialist family violence agency providing support and services to the victims/survivors and users of family violence and abuse. The $39,000 grant will continue to support the delivery of an education programme for rangatahi in Murihiku whose behaviours are causing harm to them, or those around them.
Insert Coin to Play Charitable Trust work to provide easier access to technology and social opportunities for children, teenagers, and young adults. The $40,000 grant will support the organisation to continue offering their programme to rangatahi in Murihiku.
Awarua Whanau Services is a kaupapa Māori whanau service and a subsidiary of Te Rūnaka o Awarua. The $50,000 grant (made up of $40,000 from Thriving in Murihiku and $10,000 from the Bluff Activation Fund) will employ a youth mentor to service rangatahi in Bluff who have limited access to services.
Awarua Whanau Services also received a grant of $50,000 by the Bluff panel for a feasibility study exploring the development of a multi-purpose community facility for rangatahi in Motupōhue.
YMCA Southland offer a range of youth services and mentoring, and youth development programmes. The $42,000 grant will support the staffing of a fully kitted-out trailer designed to take physical activity into communities that face disadvantage, exclusion, and lack of confidence. the ‘Community Connector’ trailer enables The Y to have a presence in the wider Murihiku community, particularly areas of Invercargill and Bluff with high deprivation levels.
Youthline Southland is a local organisation providing support, information, crisis intervention, and referrals for young people. The $46,000 grant will support the employment of a volunteer coordinator to assist the ongoing work of the organisation.
South Alive is a community-led development organisation based in South Invercargill, aiming to revitalise the most under-resourced part of Invercargill. The $13,000 grant will support a series of events, workshops, and initiatives for rangatahi in South Invercargill.
Southern Queens Boxing provide a safe and open environment for rangatahi and aim to create a healthy path to nurture their determinations, hopes, and strengths. The $30,800 grant will support the organisation to provide access to rangatahi experiencing disadvantage and exclusion.
Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation grants $375,000 to ten initiatives in Murihiku Southland – Media Release
Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation is proud to support a range of new and existing initiatives as a further $375,000 in grants are made to organisations in Waihōpai (Invercargill) and Motupōhue (Bluff) as part of the Invercargill Initiative.
The Thriving in Murihiku contestable fund is focused on providing funding to organisations creating positive outcomes for rangatahi in Murihiku Southland. A portion of this year’s fund was ringfenced for the Bluff Activation Fund to ensure Bluff was well represented in decisions made.
Continuing Te Rourou’s community-led kaupapa, each fund was led by a panel who jointly decided where the funds would go to best support rangatahi in the rohe. The panel was made up of community members, including rangatahi and those working in the youth sector, bringing their lived experiences and knowledge to support decision making.
Te Rourou Community Catalyst Mandy Smith said there had been an overwhelming number of applications for the fund, and while the decision-making process had been difficult for each panel, the right people had been sitting around those tables.
“It was inspiring to see how many people are working toward supporting our young people. It meant a lot of discussion went into making those final decisions, but it really affirmed the notion that locals are the experts in their own communities. We love the initiatives supported by this community,” she said.
One recipient was Number 10 Youth One Stop Shop who provide a range of free health, wellbeing, and support services to young people. The organisation was given $50,000 for an emergency support fund for rangatahi. Number 10 Director Jude Crump said the fund meant the organisation could better support the increasing number of rangatahi who are “falling into gaps between funding”.
“Often a small financial outlay in an emergency or crisis can make the difference between surviving and thriving. We will utilise this money alongside the existing supports we offer to fulfil our vision of ‘healthy, resilient young people’,” she said.
Te Rourou Community Catalyst Stacy Hughes said such initiatives were a great example of innovative funding which would assist Te Rourou in learning what works best for a place-based initiative.
“It was immediately clear to the panel that supporting something like this was essential for disadvantaged rangatahi. Working alongside Number 10 to see the impact of this fund will give a good idea of the real need in the community,” he said.
(Why We Should Talk Like Normal People in Philanthropy)
Shaz Reece, Murihiku Insights, Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation
The language we use in philanthropy is super (duper) important and should be accessible to all, as in, everyone should be able to understand what you’re talking about.
As of last week, I’ve been in the philanthropic world for one year. Before this, I couldn’t have told you much about it. In fact, it was probably a year ago that I typed ‘philanthropy definition’ into Google (you know you’ve done it too). Little did I know that this would be the first of countless sneaky Google searches as I began my journey into the depths of Philanthropic Jargon (words and terms used by a specific profession or group).
As funders, we have been slowly making progress to acknowledge the overwhelming power imbalance held over grant recipients (we hold the funds, we hold the power). We need to keep the momentum going, questioning more than just our funding methods, and ensuring we are interacting with the community in an equitable (fair) and accessible way for all.
My title at Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation is ‘developmental evaluator’…lol, what does that even mean?! Well, turns out it means that I gain insights from our Invercargill Initiative; learn from, reflect on, and adapt the mahi as the initiative unfolds (as opposed to evaluating after the fact). That makes sense to me…now…after a year. But I can tell you how it reads to our community partners and grant recipients: developmental EVALUATOR. Not a term fondly welcomed into any organisation who is constantly having to prove their worth in a world of competitive funding (jumping through hoops to get funded).
The title ‘Person who researches and collects data to make sure we’re doing things good’ paints a better picture of what I do, but I prefer ‘Murihiku Insights’. What’s in a name? Everything.
A while ago, I had some rangatahi ask me to explain the words I was using when interviewing them. In that moment, it became clear that the Philanthropic Jargon brainwash had reached its final stage. I had finally levelled up to Gatekeeper of the Sector, ready to promote an unnecessarily complicated vocabulary to the next generation of philanthropists.
“Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?”
I’ve got no answer to that, but I did gain some insight: Gen Z are coming, and they don’t have time for our nonsense.
At a recent Youth Advisory Group (YAG) retreat, I heard similar frustrations from my fellow youths (see: ‘fellow kids’ meme) working in philanthropy. Our young people are being made to feel out of place because they can’t instantly translate a secret language made up by those looking to protect their privilege – a language which is continuously loaded with increasingly pointless acronyms (or AIMLESS – Acronyms and Initialisms Making Language Extremely Smug and Stupid).
We need to regularly acknowledge philanthropy’s long history as a system steeped in privilege and racial inequity (where minority populations have rarely had a say about their own wellbeing). The people working on the ground are far too busy doing the actual work bettering the lives of those in their communities, they don’t have the time or energy to decipher our cryptic messages.
If we’re giving young people a platform to have their say, if we’re aiming for a fair playing field for everyone; young people learning to give grants, organisations receiving grants, and the people benefitting from those grants, let’s make sure that the invitation is in a language they can understand.
(If you have to follow everything with an explanation in brackets, you’re doing it wrong)
Applications are now closed. Kua kati ngā tono inaiānei.
Download this word document to help you prepare your application prior to filling in the form below.
Tīkina ake tēnei mauhanga hei āwhina i a koe ki te whakarite i tō tono i mua i tō whakakī i te puka kei raro iho nei.
Before you apply please see this important information about the fund here.
I mua i tō tuku tono tēnā tirohia ngā mōhiohio whaitake e pā ana ki te tahua pūtea i konei
Applications Closed
Thank you so much for your interest in the Thriving in Murihiku Fund.
You can find more information on the funding criteria, timeline and decision-making process on our website https://terourou.one.nz/funding-information/ Please read this information carefully before submitting your application.
Applications close at 5pm on Friday 30th June. You are welcome to submit your written application in English or te reo Māori. If you would prefer to submit your application via video, please let us know and we’ll provide you with information and guidance. We accept video applications in English, te reo Māori and Sign Language.
Please note, though this form may auto-save if you are connected to the internet, we recommend saving your application information in a separate document, then completing and submitting this form in one session.
Once you hit ‘submit’, you should receive an automatic email letting you know that your application has been safely submitted and a copy of what was received. The form cannot be changed after being submitted.
We’ll be in touch as soon as we can to let you know the outcome of your application. You will hear from us no later than the 4th August 2023 and we may be in touch earlier if we have any questions or need clarification to help us understand your mahi (work). We will also follow up with a short survey about this process and how we can improve your experience.
If you have any questions, or need clarification, please email us at terourou@one.nz
Applications Closed
Kua kati ngā tono
Tēnā koe i tō tono i te Pūtea Murihiku Taurikura.
Ko te roanga atu o ngā mōhiohio mō te paearu pūtea, te rārangi wā me te tukanga whakatau kei tā mātou pae tukutuku https://terourou.one.nz/funding-information/ . Tēnā, pānuitia aua mōhiohio i mua i te tāpaetanga o tō tono.
Ka kati ngā tono ā te 5pm i te Rāmere, te 30 o Hune 2023. Ka taea e koe tō tono tuhituhi te te tuku mā te reo Pākehā, te reo Māori rānei. Mēnā e hiahia ana koe ki te tuku i tō tono mā te ataata; me whakamōhio mai ki a mātou, ā, mā mātou ngā mōhiohio me ngā tohutohu e tuku ki a koe. Kei te whakaae mātou ki ngā tono ataata mā te reo Pākehā, te reo Māori me te reo Rotarota.
Kia mōhio mai, ahakoa ka aunoa pea te tiaki i tēnei puka ki te ipurangi, e tūtohu ana mātou kia tiakina tō tono ki tētahi atu momo kōnae, ki reira whakaotihia ai i mua i te tāpaetanga mā te ipurangi.
Ina pāwhiri koe i te ‘tuku’, ko te tikanga ka whiwhi koe ki tētahi īmēra aunoa kia mōhio ai koe kua tāpaetia haumarutia tō tono me tētahi tāruatanga o te tāpaetanga. Kāore e taea te puka te whakarerekē i muri i te tukunga.
Kia whakatauria te wāhi ki ngā tono, ka wawe tā mātou whakapā atu ki te whakamōhio atu i te hua o tō tono. i mua i te 4 o Ākuhata 2023. Tērā pea ka whakapā atu mātou i mua, mēnā he pātai, he kōrero anō ā mātou kia tino mārama ki tō mahi. Ka tukua hoki tētahi uiuinga poto kia taea e mātou tēnei tikanga te whakapai ake.
Mēnā he pātai, he mōhiohio rānei, īmēra mai ki a mātou, ki terourou@one.nz
We are looking for new participants to join our funding rōpū
Is that you? Apply today!
Applications are now open to join the Rangatahi Māori Fund rōpū in Waihōpai / Motupōhue. Applications close 30 June 2023.
There is no previous skills required. We are looking for members aged 14 – 20 who are passionate about te ao Māori and positive outcomes for rangatahi in Murihiku. We value the ability to listen, participate and contribute to funding decisions with an open mind. Application information is below.
What is the Rangatahi Māori Fund?
The Rangatahi Māori fund is a part of Te Rourou’s work to support Māori aspirations, develop capacity and capability within the region and honour and value the expertise held by rangatahi Māori.
Young people have a unique perspective on their community, understand the challenges they face and are deeply invested in creating a positive future. Te Rourou has established a Rangatahi Māori Fund in partnership with Community Trust South, ILT Foundation and Clare Foundation to provide a group of rangatahi Māori with the opportunity to decide where funding should go. We believe rangatahi Māori are best placed to understand their own needs for support and cultural connection.
What has the rōpū done so far?
The rōpū were formed in 2022 and to date have given out approximately $260,000 across a range of organisations that fit their criteria of allowing rangatahi to connect with culture. Some examples of things they have funded include:
Mau rakau programme in secondary schools across the rohe
Investing in developing Māori sports opportunities
Supporting rangatahi to connect with their whakapapa
Wananga for rangatahi who have experienced sexual harm
Microcredential workshops to empower rangatahi grounded in te ao Māori
Wananga to promote te ao Māori based education programmes outside the classroom
Programme to support Māori and Pasifika students to succed in sports
Supporting local players to compete in Māori league national tournament
Rangatahi Zone event for 2023
What is involved with being in the rōpū?
Meeting regularly throughout the year to develop skills and make funding decisions. This can involve evenings and weekend days. Roughly meeting twice every six weeks. Some of our orginial members are still on the panel and will act as tuakana to support new members.
You will learn and develop skills and concepts that surround funding including community wellbeing, applications, policies, criteria and accountability.
Who can apply?
There is no previous skills required. We are looking for members aged 14 – 20 who are passionate about te ao Māori and positive outcomes for rangatahi in Murihiku. We value the ability to listen, participate and contribute to funding decisions with an open mind.
How to apply
To apply to join the rōpū, please email Mandy.smith@one.nz by 30th June 2023
You are welcome to apply in any format and can include photos, videos, CV or anything else you would like to include. Please ensure you tell us:
Name
Age
Phone number and/or email address
Any iwi affiliations
Why you would love to join this rōpū
Please note all decisions will be made by the currrent rangatahi rōpū
A research report released today channels the voices of over 140 students throughout Murihiku Southland on what it will take for youth mental health and wellbeing to thrive.
Four main themes emerging from the voices of Southland’s young people include needing a larger diversity of people in leadership roles, needing safe spaces, more exposure to new ideas and opportunities, and to be heard and empowered in their communities.
The report, titled ‘I Feel Really Good When…strengthening youth mental health and wellbeing in Murihiku Southland’, was facilitated by Massey University’s Toi Āria: Design for Public Good, and commissioned by Te Rourou, Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation (soon to be One Aotearoa Foundation), in partnership with Invercargill Licensing Trust Foundation and Community Trust South.
In 2022, researchers visited 10 schools throughout Southland to discuss with groups of students the factors which affect their wellbeing, and their needs and preferences when it comes to mental health and wellbeing support. The students’ ages ranged from 8 to 18 years old.
Te Rourou developmental evaluator Sharon Reece says the report is a way of amplifying the voices of rangatahi, and encouraging the wider community to let young people lead the way.
“The rangatahi we work with have proven that they are extremely capable at determining what they need to thrive. We know that our young people can identify and articulate the struggles they face, and they are invested in creating positive futures. Now it’s time to listen to them, learn from them, and to be reactive in our decision making,” she says.
The report is intended to better inform funding decisions for its funding partners, and based on the results, its potential to influence has expanded to the wider community, with the prospect of it helping to inform decision making for schools and policymakers. While the report identifies Southland-specific factors, it also captures a wider collective youth voice which the partners are hopeful will have a national reach.
“As the insights came together, we could all see the possibilities to replicate this throughout the country, with the potential to develop community-led responses, based on community need,” Ms Reece says.
Along with four key themes, the report presents recommendations as to how the needs of rangatahi can be met. These include subsiding transport provisions for better access to counselling, implementing new spaces and places, and to support youth-led initiatives in the community.
“Te Rourou is actively committed to rangatahi voices being central to our decision making, we can only reiterate how important that is, and this report will support us in that journey,” Ms Reece ends.
