On Friday, November 1st, we hosted an epic hangout for our care-experienced tamariki and rangatahi aged 10+. The day was packed with video games, board games, basketball, snacks, and plenty of good vibes at Tarito Playt!

The buzz started early with one of our older rangatahi volunteering to help set up the space. She took on the mahi like a pro, completing tasks we’d planned to keep everything running smoothly. Three amazing RYC members also joined us to tautoko the event, providing awhi and stepping into tuakana/teina mentoring roles.

It was so cool to see our young people reconnecting, especially two who have hung out outside VOYCE since our last event, Mariokart and Manicures. They were stoked to see each other again!

The space was set up with options for everyone. Around the table, some of the younger wāhine enjoyed chatting with the RYC crew. Meanwhile, the Mariokart station saw fierce competition, and outside, Pātariki led basketball games, with hoops flying and laughter echoing.

Our kaimahi were absolute legends, keeping everything safe and running smoothly. The highlight? One rangatahi earned “Player of the Day” for stepping up to clean up a spill in the kitchen before diving back into gaming and basketball.

The day was such a hit that even during drop-offs, young people were already asking, “When’s the next one?”

As one tamaiti shared:
“As soon as I heard there was going to be another VOYCE event and kai, I was like, yup, I’m already keen!”

This event welcomed tamariki and rangatahi primarily aged 10-15, but in the future, we’ll be opening it up for 10+ to make sure no one misses out.

We can’t wait to do it all again soon – watch this space!