E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga karangaranga maha, tena tatou katoa.I am pleased to join the crew and contribute and honour the legacy created by Kitty 30 years ago – Challenge 2000. Testament to this kaupapa is the support of the Catholic Church and the calibre of amazing staff. I look forward to being part of the team and continuing to build on the potential of rangatahi and whanau in the community.My personal philosophy is underpinned by manaakitanga. Mana is generally accepted as meaning prestige. Aki is similar to the word awhi meaning to support. In essence – supporting the mana of others or empowering people. As a restorative practitioner manaakitanga is a key focus.I was born into serving and working within social services and have had a range of jobs including being a cleaner at family homes while studying; working for CYFS in various roles for 20 plus years; consultancy role delivering an outcome focussed system called Results, Based, Accountability (R.B.A) to Whanau Ora collectives; tutoring the National Diploma in Youth Work (L6) and most  recently head of pastoral care and managing Te Aute College hostel for 5 years.I am indeed blessed to have had a full education of life experiences from bottom up merged with formal qualifications with a Bachelor of Social Work; Adult Diploma in Education and a Diploma in Hypnotherapy to support my practice. I studied Hypnotherapy in Melbourne for self-help and to add another tool to build whanau and rangatahi resilience – not to get people to eat onions or dance like Elvis – just in case you’re wondering. I am married with 2 daughters and 3 mokopuna.Ko Whetumaterau te Maunga, Ko Awatere te awa, Ko Horouta te waka, Ko Awatere te marae, Ko Te Aotaihi te whare Tipuna, Ko Te Whanau o Tuwhakairiora te hapu, Ko Ngati Porou te iwi, Mauriora!

Kia ora. My name is Kerry, and I work as the Challenge 2000 Social Worker at Aotea College. My career into social work has been a natural progression. After working at a local childcare centre, and starting a family of our own, I started looking after children in my home when my children were at kindergarten. I then became the supervisor of the after school care programme at my children’s primary school, while offering my services as a parent help at school during class time. From there, I got my Teacher Aide Certificate, which enabled me to secure a job as a Teacher Aide at a local college. Funding for a youth worker became available at the college, and the college encouraged me to apply for the position, which I was successful in getting. I then gained my Diploma in Youth Work, and went on to achieve my degree in Youth Development. I found that I loved studying in a field I was passionate about – young people and their world – so I decided to go back into the classroom and extend my knowledge via a Social Work degree. I am so very pleased to have been accepted into the Challenge 2000 whanau, as they hold the values and principles that I too hold close to my heart – social responsibility, personal dignity and social justice.

Hi, I am Jan Love the MASSiS social worker at Mana College. I have worked as a social worker in many varying roles in NZ, London and Dublin. I am a mainlander through and through but have been in Wellington for the last 11 years. I have a passion for children and young people. Combined with a huge passion for fairness, social justice and opportunity for all. It’s a privilege to work for Challenge 2000 and the students of Mana College.

Hi, I am the MASSiSS Social Worker in Hutt Valley Colleges. I am a Wellington girl and grew up in Porirua East. I started with Challenge 2000 in 2015 and was attracted to its strengths-based vibe, can-do attitude and was impressed by the many services it offers. My working experience has been working alongside people with disabilities, child and adolescent mental health, education and general health.

Hi my name is Manisha Jobard and I am originally from India and have been brought up in Aotearoa since I was 9 years old. I have a very colourful background – I used to work for a reputable logistics company in Auckland after I finished my BCA and Admin and then I was lured into the insurance field which brought me back to Wellington. I started off with Challenge as a volunteer youth worker and became more and more interested in getting a job in the social work field and then they invited me to join up. I love that no one day is ever the same here at Challenge 2000. I am very honoured to work with a team with so much experience and knowledge in this area. Currently I am completing my masters in Social Work through Massey University.

Kia ora I’m Jeff. I’m one of the youth workers at Challenge 2000. My role here involves working alongside young people through mentoring, boys’ groups and other various programmes that Challenge 2000 offers. It’s a great privilege to be working at a place like Challenge 2000, where everyone is committed to making a positive difference in our community.

Kia ora koutou. I first became involved with Challenge 2000 in 2008 when I participated in a youth leadership programme – I pretty quickly realised that Challenge was something special and have stuck round, in a few different capacities, ever since. I’m excited to be back in 2018 as one of the youth workers on our YWISS programme, which means I get to hang out with our awesome rangatahi in colleges and walk alongside them as they discover their true potential. There is heaps to love about Challenge 2000, aside from Trish’s delicious cooking- being a part of a team who are committed to social justice and making a positive difference in Aotearoa New Zealand, along with having the privilege of sharing the journey with young people and their whanau. No day is the same at Challenge 2000 and it’s a real honour to work at an organisation that is so committed to meeting the needs of young people and their whanau.