Rock Climbing with VOYCE

Time

  • 5:00 pm

Date

  • 11/09/2020

Organiser

  • VOYCE

Location

  • Clip n Climb

To finish off the September school holidays with a bang VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai in Ōtautahi booked out Clip n Climb at the YMCA Adventure Centre to take a group of rangatahi climbing! Everyone met together at 5pm and joined a briefing where the YMCA showed the young people how to put on a harness, attach to the beeline, and climb safely. The young people were then let loose and had a blast climbing the walls and getting to know each other.

Lots of young people came from different residences and family homes which was awesome as it really felt like a community coming together. It was great to see so many young people not only challenging themselves and pushing their limits, but also supporting each other and yelling out words of encouragement to others who were climbing.

The rangatahi ranged in age from 10 years old to 19 years old and we had young people from the Te Poutama Arahi Rangatahi and Te Oranga residences, Emerge and Barnardos family homes as well as Odyssey House in Christchurch. We also had young people from the community, so it was a great space for connecting with children and young people in care with each other – the whole purpose of our tūhono!

We wrapped up the night in the party room enjoying some kai, korero, and music; and sang happy birthday to one of the rangatahi who joined us for the evening and was turning 17. We got some great feedback from young people, with one saying, “I’ve never done this before because I’m scared of heights – I can’t believe I did it!” and another saying, “Even though I didn’t climb it was nice to just sit and yarn and eat some kai with different people.” Overall a huge success and we can’t wait to get everyone back to do it again.

Promise Three: Learning

Education as a gateway to dreams, rangatahi are supported to achieve aspirations.

Promise One: Care

Every tamaiti receives nurturing, protection, and provision, as any good parent would offer.

Promise Five: Voice

Tamariki and rangatahi are involved in decisions that affect them, and their voices are honoured.

Promise Four: Wellbeing

Timely, accessible, and culturally conscious health and mental health services are available to all taiohi.

Promise Two: Stability

Young people in care experience consistency, safety, and a sense of belonging.

Whānau care is where a child is being raised by someone in their whānau or extended family. Often it means a child living with their grandparents – but could also be another family member like an aunt, uncle or older sibling. Whāngai is the traditional Māori practice of whānau care.