The Village Community Services Trust
“Focuses on Pasifika and Maori communities unique needs and issues. At the very heart of the organisation is the creed or kaupapa that ‘it takes a Village to raise a child’. Underpinning this idea is the belief that as responsible members of our community, they have a collective responsibility to play whatever part they can to reconnect the disconnected youths and individuals in their community into safe environments (‘village’ settings) where one can discover pathways that lead to lives operating to their full potential.
To achieve this they have mobilised like minded and hearted individuals from within their communities and harnessed their skills, knowledge, gifting, and resources. The village is also connected to a wider ‘village’ of complementary stakeholders and services.
A Village of Multi-faceted Services
Through wise governance, a ‘village’ of multi faceted services can optimise the resources and expertise at hand and maximise the capacity and capability to bring about real and positive change in the lives of individuals and communities.
The combination of these approaches assists in creating and or affirming the individual’s self-esteem and social identity/responsibilities. By knowing who they are, they are able to find their place within their family and therefore community. The measure of quality is ultimately gauged by whether they achieve this goal and are making a difference in the community.
The Village’s plan is to extend the mentoring of individual youth into effective mentoring within families, primarily in the form of parenting programmes around the specific and unique needs of Pasifika and Maori people.
Training Programmes
As part of an educational life skills and leadership training programme using ‘hooks’ such as sports, music and graphic arts, the creation of ‘community academies’ are planned within the next planning phase of the Village’s latest strategic Plan (2009-2012).
The kaupapa (traditional Māori ways of doing, being, and thinking) of the Village is a commitment to extend their services to cater for Tangata Whenua individuals and families as they grow their Maori leadership and knowledge, skills and tikanga capacity and capability.
The Village leadership believe they will see communities impacted, through allowing individuals who traditionally have struggled towards success in the educational system, to begin to realise their dreams for themselves and their families. Strong families, produce strong communities. Their hope is to see LIVES impacted so a holistic approach considering the wellness of spirit, soul and body of the individual is the basis for the design of their tailor made programmes.
Quality training in an appropriate cultural context, with the right mix of support and guidance and ensuring that the immediate training/vocational needs individuals are met, together with a mix of industry based training standards, will always be at the forefront, and underpin their programmes.”
Here at PLO.com we see the work of The Village Community Services Trust as valuable. The ‘village’ model is both appropriate and culturally meaningful while building positively into the lives of those they guide and communities where they work. We thank them for their mahi (hard work) and outstanding can-do model. It is life-affirmingly powerful.
