Kia ora e te whānau!
Welcome to the first newsletter for our wellbeing programme, Te Hekenga Whaiora. Te Hekenga Whaiora is a wellbeing programme to support rangatahi whaiora (young people seeking wellbeing) within Early Intervention Services, Wellington. Taking place over the course of 12 weeks, the program includes a range of activities that aim to support holistic hauora (wellbeing), from physical activities to art sessions to hanging out in nature and visiting māra kai (food gardens).
Putting rangatahi at the centre, we have co-designed this programme with rangatahi and their support systems (including whānau and health services kaimahi). We will be evaluating the programme through a participatory research project funded by Health Research Council and Lottery Health. Our diverse team – including health promoters, researchers, occupational therapists, people with lived experience of psychosis, students, and creatives – are all passionate about supporting the wellbeing of young people through mana-enhancing approaches. The awesome team at Nuku Ora are our delivery partners, with Jazz and Sam as our regular facilitators throughout.
So far, we have had a beautiful mihi whakatau at the Innermost Gardens in Mount Victoria to welcome rangatahi onto the programme, followed by a co-design session run by the team at Studio C, where participants had a say on how the programme will run.
For Week 1 of the programme, we went to Ākau Tangi (Kilbirnie sports centre), where we moved our tinana with some games that promoted whanaungatanga (connection). Then in Week 2 we headed to Pablo’s Art Studio for a flag making workshop, giving rangatahi the chance express what was meaningful for them.
In the upcoming weeks we will be visiting the māra kai and kitchen at WELLfed (Porirua), we’ll learn about and participate in taonga tākaro (traditional Māori games) with Tu Mātau Ora. We will also explore how different spaces and places influence wellbeing with the League of Live Illustrators.
Keep your eyes peeled for future newsletters, and feel free to reach out to the team at moving-with-psychosis@otago.ac.nz.
Ngā mihi,
Tīma ō Te Hekenga Whaiora
Moving With Psychosis 