Lise Soloa
Youth Worker
E: lsoloa@wesleyca.org.nz
Te Roopu Tiakai Rangatahi (TRTR) is a youth-led development programme that grows youth wellbeing and resilience among rangatahi in Porirua. It started in October 2018 and since then it has built youth leadership skills which have informed a wide range of initiatives across Porirua.
TRTR provides a valuable circuit-breaker which cuts through many of the well-meaning, single-problem-focused initiatives that are dropped into communities like Porirua.
TRTR is a cross-sector collaboration success story between two government agencies, a local authority, and four NGOs (known as The Alliance), along with a youth-led decision-making team known as The Voyage.
Wesley Community Action is one of the three members of The Alliance. We provide backbone support to TRTR, employing two youth workers and providing administrative and other support.
Youth leadership and youth governance sits at the heart of TRTR. Rather than young people being seen as ‘problems to be fixed’, TRTR is based on the belief that young people are a rich resource for leadership, creativity, innovation and hope in our community. This capacity is supported by a network of adults in the form of youth workers and staff of the Alliance partners.
TRTR is informed by research on brain development, resilience building, positive youth development and community-led development.
There is a growing body of evidence that what happens in the teenage years is very important for long term well-being. This is a time of great opportunity – to build resilience, strengthen positive pathways, and reduce the impact of any harm that may have already occurred. The experiences, relationships and the connections to culture and faith that young people have during this critical time can make a big difference.
TRTR works from this understanding to skilfully and consciously support rangatahi.
In doing this TRTR not only makes their lives happier and healthier right now, but it also invests in the future by helping them to gain the skills and attitudes they need grow into confident and capable adults and citizens.