West Auckland is known for a lot of things but lately its increasingly been noticed for the approach it’s taken with its most at risk and vulnerable young people and their education. The work has also been recognized by the NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards team who have announced them as a finalist in the Partnering for Good Category. This is undeniably an outstanding achievement for what is essentially a community driven initiative.

In 2016 after a string of horrendous events for its young people the community got together and decided to make a change. They recognized that the best way to make a difference for its young people was through education. Together the community created a Collective Impact initiative focused on improving educational outcomes for its young people. The Achieving at Waitakere Trust agreed to umbrella the initiative, and Scott Samson, Director of the local alternative education consortium, and Janette Searle, a specialist in the business of social change, provided the skill set and knowledge the community needed to drive the initiative forward.

For many of West Auckland’s young people, particularly those that have challenging and complex situations to deal with, the community had to address the barriers to education before their young people could even start to learn. So together they established Managed Moves, which is more than a programme, it’s a way of working that is collaborative and effective. Managed Moves has provided the platform for schools, community groups, government agencies, and a range of service providers to work together, focus on the needs of each young person, transcend the traditional silos, and remove or minimize the barriers to education they experience.

The impact of their work has revolutionized the education space for youth at risk, particularly those aged 13 to 16 years. Its success is mostly due to the approach of the community, who have actively taken up the challenge to fill the gaps in the system that so many of their young people were falling through. “It’s been challenging, but it’s also been really rewarding, especially when you know that we’re making a real difference. It’s amazing to have our efforts recognized by the Sustainable Business Network, it really is. We’re amongst some seriously impressive fellow finalists, so just being named among them is unreal.” Scott Samson.

The winners of the NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards are announced at the Awards evening on the 22nd of November.

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