Getting together at the YMCA to Raise Up for rangatahi

Raise Up YMCA group is aiming to  get more rangatahi involved in making a positive impact on the Gisborne community. 

The group, made up of 23 rangatahi from Gisborne schools, is led by youth and is for youth.

They are a diverse group of people of different ages and from different backgrounds. More than half are of Māori whakapapa and some speak te reo Māori fluently. It is a chance for them to promote it throughout the community.

Raise Up activities include a mixture of regular weekly events, workshops and personal development opportunities.

These are tailored to the interests of youth in the region and could include sports, music, dance, fashion and art.

The Raise Up Tairāwhiti initiative has been in place for two terms, and the team are committed to creating events for the coming year.

Toshiko Knight, 28, Raise Up coordinator, said “This is about helping the youth with their leadership skills and community connection. We are bringing a platform for youth to run their own events and activities and making people aware that young people want to make decisions.”

She said the group had worked well together and already had a group contract and key focuses.

Before going to schools and getting rangatahi involved, Toshiko started learning more about other community groups in the city.

She found Taiki E and their Next Gen kaupapa and has been building a relationship with them.

“It’s been very enjoyable, especially building relationships and getting to know people working with youth in the community.”

Jazz Hall, 17, and Mei Newman, 17, both joined the group as they said it was a good opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills.

They also took the lead with their first workshop with local weaver Vicky Hiha who shared her knowledge on raranga (weaving).

Mei said they had been looking for community work too and had been volunteering with Age Concern but wanted to do more for their own mental and spiritual health so joined Raise Up.

“Leadership is an important part of society and we need a new generation of leaders to come up and be able to work with everyone and solve issues,” Mei said.

Jazz was keen to join to learn more skills around leadership and making connections with people in the community.

“Starting young is very important because you want to go into a job or whatever in life with skills that you can gain from this group,” Jazz said.

The group meets every Thursday at the YMCA. Rangatahi are welcome to attend the events and the meetings. The group is at capacity with a waiting list for when rangatahi grow out of the age range , which is 12-18.