Pictured from left: Tyler Skipper-King, Alison Black and Bronson Wharehinga
In 2013 after a story aired on Campbell Live about the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs, Community Leader Awhina Vailima (founding and current Trustee member of Youth Inspire) spent a day with the Manager of the highly successful Mayors Taskforce for Jobs in Otorohanga.
Awhina loved what she saw and this was the beginning of her quest to replicate this within the Lower Hutt area, in particular her home town of Wainuiomata. An instant working group was formed which then led to the establishment of YOUth Inspire, a Trust empowered with delivering the taskforce in Wainuiomata. The Trust members comprise of a wealth of knowledge coming from different sectors including education, training, business and community.
The Kaitikai of the Trust is Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace. Mayor Wallace firmly believ es “By creating opportunities for young people to gain skills and get jobs, like we are doing with Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, we make a significant impact on youth lives and the communities they live in. Getting a job means a lot more than just getting paid, it will increase their self- esteem, give them confidence and independence. Wouldn’t that be great if we all supported youth to become active members of our community, to increase their opportunities in life, to give them the confidence to progress towards a brighter future for themselves. This is exactly what YOUth Inspire is all about, making connections, linking the dots that create pathways to employment or skills training.”In 2013 after a story aired on Campbell Live about the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs, Community Leader Awhina Vailima (founding and current Trustee member of Youth Inspire) spent a day with the Manager of the highly successful Mayors Taskforce for Jobs in Otorohanga.
This was the beginning of changes for the youth in Wainuiomata. Partners such as Hutt City Council, Wainuiomata High School and a number of educators and businesses started to support this initiative. Hutt City Council fully supports YOUth Inspire’s work and cemented their relationship by supporting the Trust through their Annual Plan. Since June 2014 YOUth Inspire has grown its funding sources/key partners to include Ministry of Social Development, Todd Foundation, and the Department of Internal Affairs.
We have approximately 200 youth registered as unemployed in Wainuiomata alone. Let’s face it, youth unemployment is a serious issue here. When youths have no jobs, nothing to do and lack of skills, it can lead to them making poor choices which can affect their future.
The youth numbers registered with YOUth Inspire have continued to grow and so has its business and education partners, such as Taylor Preston Limited, Pak n Save Petone, Value Motors, Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, Weltec to name a few.
To keep up with the growth, as of 1 July 2015, three permanent full time staff members will be employed by the Trust.
Led by Bronson Wharehinga, the YOUth Inspire (YI) Manager, the primary objective for the organisation is to ensure all young people in our communities are transitioned into Training, Education or Employment. YI is committed to making sure our youth are given every possible opportunity to thrive and achieve their future aspirations.
“ Our goal is to see ALL young people under 25 years old be engaged in appropriate education, training and employment.
YOUth Inspire has experienced tremendous growth in the 18 months since its conception. The success of the organisation during this period has laid a fantastic foundation to build on. As a result, part of the vision moving forward is to continually grow as an organisation and position YOUth Inspire nationally as one of the leading organisations that provide youth pathway opportunities for our young people. This will be a very challenging task however, I believe that the work we are doing is essential in ensuring that our young people are given the best possible chance to achieve whatever they want to achieve. We have a fantastic team here at YOUth Inspire and I’m excited about what the future holds for our young people with the help of our team. “
The YOUth inspire team also consists of Alison Black who has been brought into the team as the new Business Partnership and Programme Coordinator, and Tyler Skipper-King who has been newly appointed as the Youth Pathways Coordinator. Alison has a wealth of experience working in local communities to effect positive change. She also brings an excellent understanding of needs of local businesses and how to best place our young people.
“I believe our young people should be supported into employment, training and education. I believe that understanding our young people, encouraging positive change and being empathetic of individual needs can only lead to a better future for our young people”.
Tyler has had extensive experience within the youth sector, having previously been employed in residential youth work. He is extremely passionate about working with youth and ensuring they are given every opportunity to excel in their chosen career path.
“I believe that by strengthening the skills and effecting positive change in our young people, that not only effects positive change in their futures, but also effects change in the future of their whanau. This will only add to strengthening the community and ensure that it is a vibrant and prosperous place to live.”
The next 24 months will be a very important time for YOUth Inspire. Not only will the organisation continue to help youth reach their full potential and transition into career opportunities, but ensuring the organisation continues to experience growth through effective partnerships and collaboration with key stakeholders will also be very important.
“Our success is heavily reliant on the communities we work with. Ensuring we work collaboratively with our key stakeholders is vitally important and will help us provide the best possible opportunities for our young people.”
“We have a hugely important job here at YOUth inspire. Our young people are our future, and making sure that future is bright for our youth and the communities we work in is at the heart of what we do here at YOUth Inspire.”
If you would like more information about the exciting work that YOUth Inspire is doing, please visit their website www.youthinspire.co.nz