Month: October 2016

Fun Fun with the Little Ones!!!

Two holiday programme days were set aside for the younger children, aged 5 -10 years.  On the first day, the morning was spent at Newlands Community Centre where 26 children spent the morning baking chocolate chip cookies and making awesome frogs, turkeys, butterflies and paper planes!

The afternoon was very exciting for many of the children – we headed into Wellington for a guided tour of Westpac Stadium!!! The children saw the changing rooms, the player’s tunnel and many other “very cool” places around the Stadium.  The excitement on the children’s faces was priceless!  Who knows how many of them in the future will get to play on the grass!!

 

21 very energetic kids turned up for Day Two!!  The day began with games at the Challenge House, led by two of our Gap students, with the favourite game being the classic “cat and mouse”!  After some quick morning tea, we headed out to H2O Xtream where the day was spent swimming, going on fast slides, chilling in the lazy river, conquering the inflatables and scoring tries in pool rugby!!

We arrived back at the Challenge House with many happy, exhausted children (and staff!!!)

A big thank you to all the staff and volunteers for your help on the two days.  Thank you also to the parents and whanau for letting us hang out and have some fun with your children.

Ignite Youth Conference in Brisbane

Challenge 2000 sent 10 staff and Gap students to Brisbane to attend the Ignite Youth Conference.

Here’s a couple of the Gap students thoughts on the Conference:

“I got a lot out of the Gap trip to Brisbane for the Ignite Youth Conference.  I experienced and learnt many new things that will definitely benefit me personally and all the Gap students and Challenge staff in the future.  The knowledge and input will help us in our youth and social work.  Overall, I had a really awesome experience at the Conference and got the chance to listen to many great speakers.

One talk that stood out the most for me was a male only session about ‘being a man’.  This talk was mainly centred around being a real man and about breaking the stereotype of a tough man.  The speaker and participants talked about how it’s good to be a bit soft and emotional even though others may feel like your being a little baby.  This was quite significant to me because it showed me that it’s alright to be soft and caring and that you don’t need to do whatever makes everyone else happy.

At the Conference we were able to experience a lot of different things.  For example, the type of music that they played in the rally’s and liturgies was very upbeat and modern.  I found it quite enjoyable and inspirational.  It can maybe be something that we can adopt over here in Wellington, New Zealand.  We were also able to meet quite a large number of new people who have now become friends.

This trip was amazing! I’m so grateful that I  was given the chance to go and I would definitely recommend it to other people.  I know it was not a waste of time, money and effort.  The trip has made a real difference to me.”

Jared Tofaeono

 

“Arriving in Australia I felt overwhelmingly ungrounded.  It was like I was on another planet let alone in another country! In the second workshop I went to at the Ignite Conference, Daniel Ang was presenting Leadership Lessons from Pope Francis.  “You’re not here for yourself”, he said, “You’re here for everyone else who isn’t here at this Conference.” This hit me like a punch to the gut.  I finally ‘got’ that I wasn’t there by luck or chance, I was there with a purpose.  From then on I prayed throughout the Conference that God would open my eyes and ears, to soften my heart so that I could feel God knocking on the door and to have the strength to answer it.

Later that day we filed into the big auditorium for Mass.  On my seat was a small card with printed words “I want a church that is poor, for the poor…. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 198”.  I tucked it inside my notebook for safekeeping.  I continued the next few days living and breathing the Ignite Conference, learning, enjoying, connecting and being inspired.  It was a valuable experience.

On our last afternoon in Australia, we went into Brisbane city to look around before our flight home.  As I walked down the street, I came across a young man holding a cardboard sign – “Homeless Kiwi”.  We introduced ourselves to each other and made small talk about NZ.  I plucked up the courage to ask him how he came to be where he was now.  What he told me was a mixture of bad choices and stuff out of his control.  He said “It’s my own fault I’m living like this, I’m not a good human being and I’m addicted, I know that. But I’ve recently become a Catholic.  I’ve been baptised too.  God has got me out of some dangerous situations.  I know God has a plan and a purpose for me, and I have complete trust in that.  Maybe it is to be someone who looks out for my brothers and sisters on the Streets.” This broke my heart and inspired me in a million ways.  I didn’t know what I could do to help this young man in that moment.  But I do know that praying is extremely powerful, so we said a Hail Mary together.

I want a church that is poor, for the poor.  This young man is the church.  No more or less that the hundreds of young Catholics at the Ignite Conference.”

Sarah Atkinson

Activities based learning camp

During the last week of the school holidays,  Challenge 2000 staff had the opportunity to take a few young people on an intensive activities based learning camp.  For 4 days and 3 nights we travelled to Otaki, Kuratau and Taupo.  Part of the purpose of this camp was to take the young people into new environments and allow them to learn new skills, build relationships and take courage in challenging situations.

The first day of the camp we were fortunate to experience blacksmithing, first hand!!  A short workshop was given on how to heat metal safely and then bend it into something useful.  The young people got to make their own designer toasting fork.  They followed the instructions carefully and what they created was impressive!

The scenery was beautiful, including a small lake nearby, where some went for a glide.

The following day, we drove to Kuratau and gathered together that night to play some card games and rest from the long day of travel.

A big day was ahead for the young people.  Visiting the bungee jump was on the day’s schedule!  While the young people were both hesitant to go for the big jump, it was only a matter of time that, with bravery and boldness, both made the jump together! The rest of us watched as they dropped down towards the beautiful river below them.

Overall, the intensive 4 day camp adventure was a great learning experience for everyone involved and we came away from the trip knowing each other a bit better, having developed new skills and achieving more than we had hoped for.

GAPS on placement

As part of the Challenge 2000 GAP Year programme, our 9 GAP students spend a month long placement in different places of New Zealand, serving and participating in missions.

The GAP students went on to Kopua Monastery in the Hawkes Bay, on the LSV programme in Hobsonville, Auckland, worked at the Auckland City Mission and with St Vincent de Paul’s, travelled south and spent time in the lower South Island with a Marist Priest and also spent time in Wellington working on missions with Challenge 2000.

Dylan and Jared went to St Joseph’s Primary School in Port Chalmers and shared in their morning prayer and then helped out by painting seating on our paved area. After morning tea they played sports with the children. They both spoke well about their Gap Year Programme and of the benefits of being on it. The school commented that both the boys were “exceptional men” and thanked Challenge 2000 “for providing our children with fantastic role models. Corrine, St Joseph’s Primary School
Below are some photos of the fun the children had with Dylan and Jared.