Media release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, 19 December 2016

Oro—Upper Hutt produces three initiatives for Upper Hutt youth

Upper Hutt City Council Officers recently teamed up with the crew from Lifehack to boost youth wellbeing and leadership in the Upper Hutt community.

UPPER HUTT, Wellington NZ, 19 DEC 2016—Lifehack is an initiative funded through the Social Media Innovation Fund, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project. The fund was established to support innovative use of social media technology, to improve youth mental health and emotional wellbeing. The Lifehack initiative has been created to provide a platform for local communities to collaborate on new approaches, projects and ventures, with young people at the centre of the design process.

Upper Hutt City Council officers recently took part in a local Lifehack programme, Oro—Upper Hutt, alongside local young people, the UHCYT (Upper Hutt Community Youth trust), ACC, and CAYAD (Community Action Youth and Drugs).

Over the course of six weeks, Lifehack facilitators created the space for collaborative projects to take shape, and for people from different disciplines to work together. Participants applied their skills (while picking up some new ones) and used their connections and knowledge to create new wellbeing initiatives for the Upper Hutt community. The diverse group of participants applied tools and frameworks from various disciplines including design, entrepreneurship, wellbeing, and technology, to develop and launch the initiatives for and with local youth.

“Young people are valued members of the Upper Hutt community with energy, new ideas, and creative solutions,” says Council’s Community Development Team Leader, Sue Colville. “The initiatives that result from the Oro—Upper Hutt programme will focus on engaging youth and encouraging participation in local decision making.”

Three key initiatives have been accelerated as a result of the programme:

Whakamanatia: a co-designed programme aimed at preventing youth suicide by developing young people’s wellbeing by focusing on identity, resiliency, relationships, and communication.

Kickstart coffee: a collaborative project with young people which will develop knowledgeable, qualified, and skilled baristas.

Spearhead Leaders: an accelerated youth-focused leadership project in partnership with Upper Hutt City Council. The project aims to develop young people’s leadership skills, and enhance their ability to mentor others and volunteer in the community. Spearhead leaders will run a Spearhead Leadership Summit in Upper Hutt during Youth Week in May 2017. The summit will aim to motivate and inspire over 200 Upper Hutt young people to be leaders in their own community.

About Upper Hutt City Council

Upper Hutt City Council is the steward and custodian of Upper Hutt City, providing governance, infrastructure, and community services and resources, and promoting opportunity in the city for business, recreation, lifestyle, and leisure. Upper Hutt City is located 30 km north-east of Wellington City (41°07'34" S, 175°04'06" E) and boasts 70% of the region’s parks and reserves, along with state-of-the-art entertainment and leisure facilities.

For more information on Upper Hutt City and the City Council, go to www.upperhuttcity.com

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