Mates & Dates is a Healthy Relationships program for Secondary Students Years 9 to Years 13. The program aims to reduce sexual and dating violence by helping young people acquire the knowledge and skills to engage in safe, respectful and healthy relationships based on the personal dignity of all people. We also focus on healthy relationships with peers, whānau, and society in general.
Just some of the Challenge 2000 Mates & Dates team
This term, we’ve continued the modules that we started in Term I, pre-COVID-19. Next term, we hope to be busy again delivering more modules in secondary schools in the Wellington Region. It’s a privilege to be a part of students’ lives, serving them and their families via this really important program.
Straight off the press from a couple of our facilitators…
“After COVID-19 forced a break in our Mates & Dates curriculum, we have finally been able to ease back into the schools to finish old, and begin new, modules. The situation that lockdown forced us into has created an excellent point to stop and reflect, and to look forward with new learning. Having discussions with the rangatahi in schools in regards to how lockdown affected their well-being and communication styles has allowed us to have great conversations around relationships and how we will communicate going forward.“ Aidan Ritchie is a Challenge 2000 Youth Worker and Mates & Dates Facilitator
“It’s so good to be back in the colleges delivering such an important program. One of the things that I really enjoy about being a Mates & Dates facilitator is being able to be part of creating an environment where the rangatahi we’re engaging with feel safe and supported enough to fully participate and as a result, we have some really awesome group discussions. Every class is unique and I like how that keeps us facilitators on our toes!“ Anh-Dao Pham is a Challenge 2000 Youth Worker and Mates & Dates Facilitator
Challenge 2000 is a Wellington-based youth development agency which has served young people and their families for over 30 years. We seek to help young people grow into their best selves through a variety of services and programmes, including education, youth justice, personal mentoring, and leadership development. We have significant contracts with a number of partner agencies.
We are looking for a professional, organised yet flexible person with a loving, can-do attitude, who, in a dynamic environment at the Marist-Challenge Centre in Johnsonville, can juggle the following tasks:
Administrative support of our leadership and financial teams
Experience of financial systems (preferably Xero) a must
Funding applications and reports
Managing ‘front of house’ interaction
Supporting public relations and communications
Coordinating special projects and events
Facilitating volunteer engagement
Great location, an awesome workspace with a truly diverse team, a carpark and opportunity for flexible hours.
To apply or to find out more, please contact John Robinson before 26th June: (04) 477 6827 / info@challenge2000.org.nz
After a couple of months out of school the majority of students are returning back to see friends and catch up on the latest gossip.
Hand sanitizers adorn every house and no breakfast in schools programmes are running to meet level 2 criteria, but apart from this much has stayed the same.
Many students have said they had missed the structure of school and are glad to be back, as they had found it difficult to be online during set times with the distractions of home life.
Most have reintegrated back well and seniors are excited about the reduced credits required for NCEA achievement.
When asked about their experience of lockdown most students respond with ‘boring’. The common feel is that everyone is glad to be back at school and are waiting for sports to start back up again!
A BIG THANK YOU to Richard Johnson of Hiremaster Wellington, who kindly loaned our Food Distribution Centre a freezer to store our meat for our family deliveries.
This was great timing as we were also fortunate enough to receive lots of pork from Kiwi Harvest via Primary Industries for our food boxes.
Great gesture Richard. Thanks for helping us to help others!
Get in touch with Richard below to discuss your next hiring needs!
Charity Services, which oversees the 27,513 registered charities throughout NZ, chose to highlight the work of Challenge 2000 in its April newsletter. Click below to read about our mahi!
Challenge 2000 realised that during the lock down and no public transport time many of our families who were already on the edge would be tipped over. We were also getting numerous requests from College counsellors, other agencies and Police who were concerned about those they had been or were working with. As Colleges were shut and others were not an essential service Challenge staff kindly said YES and stepped up.
So Challenge 2000 began a Food and Wellbeing Delivery Service. The Service was committed to enhance the well being of those we walked with. Our emphasis was on healthy, fresh, balanced food deliveries that met the individual and cultural needs of each household. (And at times the needs of the family pets!).
Another food parcel ready to go
Up to Level 2 the Challenge 2000 team delivered 514 food parcels to individuals and families across the Wellington Region. Recipients include:
individuals who have lost their employment
migrant workers
low income families
individuals with anxiety and depression
refugees with uncertain support and too afraid to venture out
families with a sudden death
casual workers with no hope of budgeting and purchasing food on a very limited income
young people without support, alienated from their families
people waiting for their wage paid on a fortnightly basis
those receiving the government salary subsidy and who have a huge gap in their living costs and income because of Covoid 19
elderly people who needed extras
Fresh baking from Nada Bakery ready for food parcels
Courtenay and Elaine from Fine Cuisine catering who have been dropping readymade meals to us.
We are so grateful to many individuals, groups and businesses who have contributed in so many ways.
Help from Greg O’Connor, the Ohariu MP
A special thank you to Stacey Shortall, the Savage and Stewart Family and the “Who did you help today Trust”. Right from the start you were absolutely fantastic and your generosity ensured top quality meat, veges, fruit and eggs for our people. Jimmy the driver was fantastic too.
Next a thank you to KCA and Churton Park New World for your ongoing supportive partnership with Challenge 2000.
Huge thanks also to:
Nada Tawa and then Nada Johnsonville for your ongoing support and the fresh yummy bread.
Ministry of Social Development and Wellington City Council for helping fund some of the food parcels for Wellington people
Monty Patel of Tulsi, your rice was so timely and has filled out many orders that we would have struggled to meet.
Super Liquor Johnsonville for providing the chiller and making sure we could keep everything fresh. “Super” alright Bruce.
Greg O’Connor for linking us with donating businesses and donating dollars to get extras here
Fine Cuisine owners who donated lots of made up meals
Angus O’Sullivan at Pak n Save Petone, thanks for your patience with all the orders and your team for packing it
The Parishioners of St Francis of Assisi Ohariu for partnering to share your parish hall so we could make up our deliveries
AND to so many kind people who gave and continue to give food or donations so generously.
And finally to TOLL who moved the food donated and orders purchased for nothing. Roberto, you and your despatchers and drivers were amazing.
Then a big thank you to the Challenge Team who day in and day out cared and delivered food, support and positivity with a smile and a friendly bow or nod. You made a difference.
From Some of our homes:
“Wow thank you so much for the food parcel! I’m overwhelmed! Was not expecting that. Thank u :)”.
“Aaawww yaaaay! Thank you very very much!! Perfect timing for food for us! Your amazing! Bless you“.
“Hi Jan, its [names removed] mum here. Thanks for the fruit n vege and food parcel, thank you so much for considering us and doing this….sorry I got no creds to tax back again. I am just so grateful“.
“Hey Jan its [name removed] here just wanted to thank you for the food, laptop and for even thinking of me. My household and I are so grateful for you generosity look after yourself have fun thanks again“.
“Thanks felise for that food. Tough at the moment brother U guyz always are there for my kidz. Much alofas”.
“In tears now. Your food delivery to our whanau…not enough words or ways to say thank you. It’s a bad time for us and those home cooked meals, chicken, veges and kumara just blew us away…thanks to my challenge whanau. Didn’t expect anything like this“.
“Hey Trina When I had to let the school now about our situation I was whakama. Next day you come round with a huge parcel for us and its no sweat… the kids were happy to see you….pleased I got over myself to ask hey. Thanks Trina and the school”.
“Hi Mele ….P’s Granddad who has been buying groceries for his own bubble and P’s rang to say how grateful they are to you and Challenge for the food you dropped off today. It means he need not go shopping for at least another fortnight which relieves significant financial and other pressures on them all. So thank you so much for that!” – College Dean.
“During level 4 of the COVID-19 lockdown, Challenge 2000 delivered a large number of food parcels, activity packages and essential items to the families of our students. As an essential service, our social worker and youth worker also provided driveway and distanced physical check ins to ensure the wellbeing of our students. They have continued this work while we have not been allowed to and I know that I can rely on them to respond effectively and immediately” – College Principal.
We’ve been in the news so much lately, and so busy on the frontline, that this latest article on Page 2 of our local newspaper, mentioning aspects of our Covid-19 response, almost slipped us by!
Kerry, our Food Distribution Centre Coordinator, writes about a typical COVID-19 lockdown day:
“Yesterday started with administrative tasks relating to my normal job as a college social worker. I then met with the Food Distribution Team via Zoom. Following up on the meeting, I e-mailed some polite requests for donations before heading off to Moore Wilsons to purchase some staple supplies. Thank goodness I didn’t have to wait in line too long! Arriving back at headquarters, our ‘admin. Extraordinaire’ Anya had the list for parcels to be made up which my faithful side-kick Anne and I started working through.
Next thing, a delivery of rice arrived… Anne and I helped Felise (the muscle of the team) and Jeff unload two pellets of 20kg sacks…and sacks…and sacks of rice, which we stacked in the Parish Hall. Then, out to deliver some of the food parcels. I use the classic “drop, knock and run” method of delivery, which inevitably results in the recipient answering the door when I am half-way back to my car “bubble”. The genuine gratitude expressed – both for the kai, and for the “visit” – is profound.
I, too, leave with my heart over-flowing with gratitude. I am very thankful to be part of the Challenge 2000 whānau, which reaches out to the vulnerable in our community every day, but especially so during this uncertain and unprecedented time.”
