History
In May 2001 a group of five youth workers from around the country started conference calling to discuss issues facing youth work in New Zealand. The calls were facilitated by John Harrington, the Coordinator of the Canterbury Youth Workers Collective.
In July 2002 the same group of youth workers met in Wellington with Paul Curry, the Manager of the Community Development Group of the Department of Internal Affairs and Anne Carter, CEO of the Ministry of Youth Affairs. The purpose of meeting was to discuss the development of youth work in light of DIA holding funding for youth work through Lottery, the Community Development Scheme, COGS, and the Youth Work Training Scheme. The Ministry of Youth Affairs held the policy – the Youth Development Strategy of Aotearoa which adds weight and support to the practice of youth work.
This meeting was the start of developing the National Youth Workers Network Aotearoa. The youth workers gained support from both Paul and Anne and from this meeting were asked to write a discussion paper outlining potential aims and objectives. The group met with Paul and Anne again in November 2002 and presented the discussion paper. From this meeting a Working Group was established that was funded to meet with DIA and MoYA three times the next year for the purposes of keeping the discussions going and to start moving forward with the aims and objectives.
In 2003 the Working Group were provided with funding to carry out a piece of research on the state of youth work in Aotearoa this was to be titled ‘Real Work’. The Working Group were also given some funding to contract a Network Coordinator to get out and about the country to engage youth worker networks with the purpose of connecting them and assisting them to capacity build. The Working Group was also funded to meet three times per year for two years so to manage the two projects and keep the vision moving forward
October 2003 Lloyd Martin was
contracted to co ordinate the research project and Rebecca Blaikie was
contracted as the Network Coordinator, their contracts were for two
years.
Rebecca Blaikie engaged and established relationships over the two years with 35 local/regional youth workers networks and held two youth worker networks reps hui.
Lloyd surveyed 637 self-identified youth workers from throughout Aotearoa using the youth worker networks to facilitate the filling out of the surveys. He also ran fifty six focus groups including three hundred and seventeen youth workers this was done as a Road Show and both Lloyd and Rebecca organised this.
The research was launched at Victoria University in February 2006. We believe this to be the most comprehensive research ever carried out on youth work in New Zealand
In
April 2006 we received some funding for the year from the Ministry of
Youth Development which allowed us to employ a Director and a
Capacity Builder the former role of the Network Coordinator. John
Harrington was contracted as the Director and Tania Cooper as the
Capacity Builder.
In October of that year we officially became the National Youth Workers Network Aotearoa Incorperated and held or inaugural AGM at Tapu Te Ranga Marae where our inaugural Board and National Council was formed.
The National Youth Workers Network Aotearoa has been supported in our development by many individuals and organisations including the
Ministry of Youth Development, The Department of Internal Affairs, the Wayne Francis Charitable Trust and
the JR McKenzie Trust.