Posts by Michele Keggenhoff
Name Change Reflects a Growing Y
The Y South & Mid Canterbury today announced the organisation is changing its name to “The Y Central South Island” effective immediately. The change was approved at the not-for-profit organisation’s recent AGM. It was prompted by expanding operations in Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru and Oamaru and acknowledges that the previous name no longer accurately described the…
Read MoreCrucial for Youth to Have a Say in Their Communities
Let’s talk about something super important: giving young people a real voice in their communities. This isn’t just about letting them speak; it’s about truly listening and acting on their insights. An important youth voice opportunity for taiohi living in Ashburton, Mackenzie, Timaru, Waimate, and Waitaki districts is currently running until 30 June – the…
Read MoreYouth Survey 2024 Now Open Online
An important youth voice opportunity for taiohi living in Ashburton, Mackenzie, Timaru, Waimate, and Waitaki districts is now open online and runs to 30 June – the Y South & Mid Canterbury’s Youth Survey 2024. Roughly every two years since 2014 The Y has taken the pulse of the region’s taiohi age 12-24 years on…
Read MoreWho’s Who on Your Youth Team?
There will always be times when a young person needs extra support and guidance from a trained professional. Here at The Y we have youth workers and social workers who work collaboratively with taiohi, and counsellors may also play an important part of the wider team. The roles of youth workers, social workers, and counsellors have distinct…
Read MoreVaping & Young People Shouldn’t Mix
Vaping and taiohi (young people) really shouldn’t mix – but of course they do. So what’s being done about it, and how can you support a young person to quit? Vaping has become increasingly popular among our taiohi, with data showing that the number who vaped regularly had tripled between 2019 and 2021 and continues…
Read MoreSupport your young people to vote
The General Election on 14 October is just around the corner, bringing with it the opportunity for eligible voters to have their say on the future direction of our country. However, not everyone will take up this opportunity, especially young people. Even during the “Youth Quake” of the 2020 general election, only 62.7% of eligible…
Read MoreUsing strengths when working with young people
When things are tough, we’re often told (or tell others) to “harden up” or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” – but how often do we check whether there are any bootstraps to pull on? At the Y we call those bootstraps “strengths”, and utilising them (“strengths-based practice”) is the foundation of how we work…
Read MoreThe Y Expand to New Premises on Sophia Street
Steady growth has led the Y South & Mid Canterbury to expand to new premises at 7-9 Sophia Street to accommodate their youth and community development (Y&CD) staff, while retaining their current premises at 23 Butler Street. “Due to increases in our youth and community development, Y•Drive driver education and licence support, and employment pathways…
Read MoreSome Perspective on Youth Crime
There’s an election looming in New Zealand. One way you can tell is by the near-constant media headlines about the supposed youth crime wave, ram raids, and political parties of every stripe announcing “tough on crime” policies in response. These announcements make good sound bites. But are the proposed policies actually good for the troubled…
Read MoreParents’ Important Role in Talking about Sex
The recent Mama Hooch trial, which resulted in convictions against two men on dozens of charges including rape, sexual violation, indecent assault and drink-spiking related to Christchurch’s Mama Hooch bar, reveals how sadly little has changed since the Roast Busters case horrified the nation 10 years ago. The aftermath of the Roast Busters case led to the…
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