Category: Challenge 2000

Good in the Hood

Good in the Hood is Z stations way of giving back to organisations in the neighbourhood. At our Johnsonville Z station, Challenge 2000 has been selected as one of the four neighbourhood groups and we need your orange tokens please!For the month of MARCH, if you visit our local Johnsonville Z station and make a purchase (excluding cigarette only purchases) you’ll be given an orange token, and then you can pop that token in the container marked Challenge 2000. It doesn’t matter how much you spend, you could buy petrol, a coffee or a yummy bite to eat, ask for a token and make your vote!For those that are not near the Johnsonville Z station, never fear, click on www.z.co.nz/GoodintheHood and you can hunt for Virtual tokens that you can then give to Challenge 2000.

As always, thank you so much for your support

Welcome New Gap Students

On Tuesday 18th  and Friday 21st February six new faces were welcomed to Challenge 2000 to take on a big adventure for 2014.

Challenge 2000 hosted a powhiri to officially welcome Junior, Moriah, Taylor, Vaga and Tala as part of the Challenge and Marist whanau and then on Friday we welcomed Leah to the Gap Year Programme. These Six have chosen to live a year dedicated to service, justice, challenges and growth. We are very happy to have them here and look forward to walking alongside them on their individual and group journeys! Already they’re off on Court Supervised Camps, up in Hawkes Bay to help Luke and Manisha, giving a helping hand at L’arche and developing as trainee youth workers around Challenge. A huge thanks to Jacob Wilkins-Hodges and Fr Paul Martin for your words of welcome.
Keep an eye here to find out what more unfolds for the ‘Gappies’ in 2014.
Gap Powhiri
Gap Powhiri 2Gap Powhiri 1

Johnsonville Youth Group

Our Johnsonville based youth group is back for 2014! For our first gathering of the year we spent a beautiful Wellington day at Scorching Bay.
Scorching Bay Fun
Last year it was awesome to have young people aged 10 to 15 from a number of different schools around Wellington come together as part of their Johnsonville community. Highlights from last year were friendships made, fun action packed group sessions, a trip to laserforce and getting involved in different community events. All are welcome! If you’re interested in attending please contact Courtney on 4770045 or courtneyhalliday@challenge2000.org.nz.
End of Youth Group Fun
Sundays 11.30am – 1.30pm at Challenge 2000 Youth and Family Centre, 27 Dr Taylor Tce, unless otherwise arranged.

Waka Ama

We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to the Porirua Canoe and Kayak Club for taking our young people and staff out on the water to try their hands at Waka Ama!

Everyone was having such a good time, even the sun had to pop out from behind the clouds to see what we were up to!

 

Learning how to paddle

Learning how to paddle

Working as a team

Working as a team

Working to get the waka into the water

Working to get the waka into the water

 

 

Success!

Success!

 

 

 

 

 

Row row row your waka

Row row row your waka

A nice day for being out on the water!

A nice day for being out on the water!

 

 

Children’s Day

Sunday the 2nd March is National Children’s Day. We will be celebrating in summer style  at Challenge 2000! We will have a sausage sizzle, milkshakes, ice cream, games, lots of fun and prizes to share. You and your family are invite to join us at the Challenge 2000 Youth and Family Centre in Johnsonville. See you there from 11.30am until 1pm!

007
If you are looking for ways to help out the community, a donation towards food for this day would go a long way! We are using this as an opportunity to fundraise for youth activities so any donations will be gratefully received.

Wellington Sevens

As the rain fell in Wellington it was time to get into our costumes and head off to the stadium to enjoy the action of the first day at the sevens.
Pre Group Photo
We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend this event alongside 7 of our young people and most were excited as it was their first time attending the sevens!
When we first arrived everyone took in the atmosphere and as the night went on we all began dancing to the music and enjoying the action of the rugby.
7s Group Photo
We are all very VERY grateful for this opportunity and want to thank the people who made this happen for us.

Rotary Youth Leadership Camp

The opportunities just keep coming!

After finishing up on the Challenge 2000 Gap Year I stayed on to do a bit more work during the holidays and just before I went back home, I was sponsored by the Johnsonville Rotary Club to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA), a week long camp.

The week was full of very interesting speakers, challenging activities and fun. I had the opportunity to visit parliament and government house giving me the chance to meet the Governor General and a speaker from each government party.

The theme for this week was “unleashing your leadership potential” which I found extremely relevant for me after a very full on year of gaining a whole range of life and leadership skills with Challenge.
Reflection time

Reflection time

It was very comforting to meet a large group of people around my age who were motivated and passionate about leading and we all had differing ideas on how to go about it. My views and values were challenged by the speakers and challenged by the other participants, which I found to be quite an awesome experience. I am extremely thankful to Challenge 2000 and the members of the Johnsonville Rotary for giving me the chance to attend R.Y.L.A  2014.
Because of it I have realized how much of an impact Challenge has had on me and I had the chance to learn a bit more about how that fits with being a leader in today’s world.
– Anna Hoskins

Seasons Greetings!

 

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings

We would like to send out a huge thank you to all our supporters who have generously donated food items and gifts for families in need.

Christmas Hampers at Challenge 2000

The families and individuals we have delivered the hampers to have been very moved and excited by the community’s generosity, as Christmas can be a very difficult time financially.

For our staff this is a time to reflect and remind ourselves of the ‘WHY’ – why we are here working for an organisation like Challenge 2000.  We enjoy delivering the hampers, and to see the expressions and emotions from those who receive these gifts is heart-warming.

We would appreciate any further support you may be able to offer, in particular fresh meat and vegetables.  If you are able to donate any food items such as these, please contact us on Phone: 04 4770045 or 021 659354.

Families who are not being paid during the Christmas break are also finding it difficult, and we are able to accept any cash donations.   You can find our bank account details on our website here or feel free to call the number provided above.

We’d like to wish everyone a safe Christmas and thank you very much for all your support and aroha you have shown.

Staff off to deliver hampers

Staff off to deliver hampers

 

 

Gap Graduation

Our 8 gap students graduated with flying colours on December 1st 2013. It has been a fantastic year of challenge, growth, learning, experience and service. The 8 students achieved much and gave much this year. All past their NZQA youth work certificate and also gained full drivers licences and first aid certificates. For many it was also the first time they gained a New Zealand passport with 4 ‘gappies’ travelling to Samoa and Mexico respectively.

Gap Year GraduationGap Year students 2013

 Gap Year students in Mexico

 

Gap year students in SamoaThis year gap students mentored young people, worked on youth development programmes, supported the youth workers at Newlands Community centre, helped lead court supervised camps, tutored young people, lead holiday programmes, washed cars, cooked and served food, run groups in 5 different colleges, designed websites, typed and photocopied

It’s not too late to apply for gap 2014. Fill in the online application form and say YES to a year that you won’t ever forget.

Feedback for some of the gap year students 2013

“The gap year has taught me so much about myself and who I really am. I walked out of the gap year a lot more confident within myself and a greater understanding of myself and the different things that I am able to share with other people. Throughout the year I have done so many things that I never thought I would have done especially at my age. From the weekly placements, to the NZQA papers, to the overseas cultural experience in Samoa, to the talks that we had. Even though it wasn’t an easy choice to say ‘YES’ to the gap year, looking back at it now it was the best decision that I made at the end of 2012.” ~Courtney Halliday

This unique gap year has been so important for me at this time in my life. After leaving college last year overwhelmed by how many different options I had to choose from I am so thankful that i opted for a Challenge 2000 and Society of Mary Gap year. I have experienced so much over the last year. My world view has changed and I now see myself, others and New Zealand in a different way. This is definitely a year I will look back on with no regrets and identify it as an important stage in my personal growth and development. At this stage next year I am intending to go to Victoria university and do a BA majoring Social Policy. Many thanks to everyone who made it possible. ~Anna Hoskins