Creativity and Courage: A Strong Start for Rangatahi

Ngā Rangatahi Toa helped rangatahi step into the new year with confidence, creativity, and a strong sense of belonging. Here’s what that looks like in action.

The start of a new year can be exciting, but it can also bring anxiety, stress and the challenge of getting motivated after a long summer break. For many rangatahi, stepping back into routines or new responsibilities can be a bit daunting. Ngā Rangatahi Toa (NRT)’s  Raumati Summer Wānanga was designed to meet them exactly where they are, offering guidance and creative outlets to help them start the year ahead from a strong and energized foundation. 

Across two weeks of immersive experiences, NRT brought rangatahi together to explore mau rākau, theatre-making and songwriting, moving between play-based tasks and creative experiments that sparked their curiosity and provided opportunity for emotional processing and resilience-building. Every swing of the rākau, every lyric drafted, every idea shared with peers became a small act of courage and a step toward discovering what they are capable of. 

The wānanga was also a space for our rangatahi to acquire new life skills. A day of barista training at Allpress and an afternoon of CPR skills brought valuable new knowledge to everyone’s kete. Rangatahi approached this learning with enthusiasm, and were proud to have new tools up their sleeve to take back to their families. NRT are looking forward to scaffolding them into further CPR training and seeing where their first glimpse into barista training will take them! 

Throughout the wānanga, rangatahi encouraged each other and found joy in rekindling their connections after a long break. By participating together, they felt part of something bigger, and were reminded that they will always have a place of belonging in each other’s hearts and here at Ngā Rangatahi Toa. 

This work is only possible because of the generosity of donors. Contributions from One Percent Collective provide NRT with invaluable resources that enable them to show up for their rangatahi in practical ways that lead to real impact. 

By the end of the wānanga, these rangatahi were adventurers, creators and problem-solvers, ready to tackle the year with curiosity and courage. Thanks to your support, NRT can continue to build these launchpads, giving rangatahi the tools and confidence to step boldly into the year ahead and into the futures they dream of.

‍

Words and images supplied by Ngā Rangatahi Toa