Category: Challenge 2000

2012 has started with a bang!

2012 has started with a bang and it’s hard to believe that we are in April!

Life at Challenge 2000 has been its usual mix of planned chaos, adventure, determination and innovation.

We have an incredibly talented team of staff and volunteers who never cease to amaze me with their dedication to the young people, families and the vision of Challenge 2000.

We are proud of our young people who have begun new adventures this year – starting training courses, finding paid employment, successfully completing court orders, attaining their learner drivers licence, and making other positive decisions for their future. What a privilege it is to celebrate with them in these achievements!

The issue of ‘vulnerable children’ has been very much on our minds as we prepared a submission for the government green paper. It is particularly significant, as we are receiving an influx of referrals for young people who are in need of intensive support to get them through tough times. We await a further period of constructive dialogue on this issue, and look forward to being part of the solutions!

Sally Blackler, our LSV social worker in Burnham, is currently walking from Auckland to Christchurch to raise money for Canteen! Sally is walking in memory of her late husband Nathan, who passed away from cancer in 2007. Please read about Sally’s inspiring story on www.sistersinarms.co.nz .

Looking ahead, we have some exciting events coming up in the next few months, and we would love your support. Please keep an eye out on our website for details of our annual Quiz night, Clean Up Johnsonville Day and a variety of other activities!

Noho ora mai
Bridget

 

Sally Blackler : Stepping out for Youth

Sally Blackler is a Challenge 2000 social worker and she is based at the NZDF Youth Development Unit in Burnham. Sally’s role is to provide support to the trainees on the Limited Services Volunteer programme. Please read about Sally’s inspirational story.

SISTERS IN ARMS : Nathan Blackler Memorial Challenge

Auckland to Christchurch

32 Days / 7 Rest Days / 1, 014 Km’s

 

In 2004, Sergeant Nathan Blackler walked from Auckland to Christchurch in gratitude to all the people who had supported him in his fight against cancer, and to raise awareness and funds for Child Cancer Foundation. Nathan, with his wife Sally. friends, and colleagues made the 1, 014 km journey and along the way raised $65, 000 for the Child Cancer Foundation. Sadly, five years ago, on March 23rd 2007 Nathan Blackler passed away after a long fight with cancer.

 

This year on Friday March 23rd to 1st May 2012 Sally Blackler and the Sisters in Arms crew undertook this inspiring walk in honour of Sally’s late husband, Nathan and in support of CanTeen. It took the team 32 days, with 7 rest days and 1, 014 km’s to reach their destination.

 

Challenge 2000 Staff

Challenge 2000 are privileged to support Sally on her journey! The morning of Friday March 23rd Challenge staff gathered, shared breakfast and watched a DVD on Nathan Blackler and his walk in 2004 called Operation Second Chance. We have been inspired by Nathan’s legacy and walked alongside Sally when she reached Otaki, and on her journey through to Wellington.

Please visit their website  for more information.

Christmas at Challenge

Christmas is a time to celebrate life.  To remember the importance, the joys and the challenges of being part of a family.  Christmas day was made happier for many of our families through the generosity of so many supporters who donated gifts, food vouchers, food and transport.  Challenge staff and extended whanau celebrated throughout the Wellington Region.

Junior turned out to be a brilliant Father Christmas, particularly with the little ones who slept through his ho ho hos!  Unfortunately some of the little ones screamed when they saw him with a big white beard and could only be consoled when he took it off.  However, they enjoyed playing hide and seek, meeting Santa (beardless!), and opening their many presents!  The more grown up members of the group enjoyed cuddling the little babies, having some lovely food, sharing stories about 2011, and relaxing together.

As usual some of our staff were also out and about – fixing a TV for an elderly Johnsonville lady, delivering emergency meat and vegetables, filling up the car with petrol so the family could return to Taranaki, taking out some young men to relieve pressure at home and gathering up soothing lotion for sunburnt adolescents.

The Christmas period is also a hard time for many of our young people who are ‘reunited’ with family members they know little of.  So a lot of our time is spent texting and calling to ensure that the gains the young people have made are maintained over their time away from Challenge.

As always it is great to have staff who are prepared to give up their special Christmas time to support our young people and continue to be there when needed.

Gap Year Graduation……and an exciting new year ahead!

 

 

If you have been watching our website this year, you would have caught up on all the Gap Year happenings!  They have been overseas, they have travelled around the country, they have had experiences that they never would have expected and all of them say that they feel that they have grown, been challenged and learned a great deal.  Most of all they have given a year of their lives to make a difference in the world.

The Gap Year Graduation took place in early December at Patrick’s College in Kilbirnie….each student talked about their year.  These were funny, inspiring, very moving testimonies of their growth during the year.

We are all proud of the Gap graduates and look forward to seeing where the next step takes them!

If you are interested in being part of the Gap Year in 2012 please contact Kitty on 021 491 459 or challenge2000@xtra.co.nz.

Community Christmas

Children making reindeer at the Community Christmas Party

On Thursday 1 December, we hosted our ‘Community Christmas party’.  This was our opportunity to say ‘Thank you’ to all those who support us during the year.

 This event was a true reflection of the Challenge 2000 community.  We had people join us from far and wide for the occasion – we had our special guests from the Whanganui Awa school, long-time Challenge 2000 supporters, young people involved in our various programmes, as well as friends and colleagues from the Johnsonville & greater Wellington communities.

This year was really special in that we had a number of people visiting our premises for the first time. To help everyone get to know us (and each other) a little better, we had a quiz, one our fabulous social workers sang a few Christmas Carols, and one of our very talented young people kindly offered to display his amazing graffiti art for the occasion! We also had fun and games for the children with a piñata, making Christmas tree decorations, and the obligatory game of touch rugby in the backyard!

Pilgrims on a Journey


Every year, Challenge 2000 with the help of the Society of Mary take a group of people aged about 18 – 35 years on a pilgrimage……2011 was no different.  In December a group of 15 packed up some of their things, turned off their cell phones and opened themselves up to whatever the week ahead held in store for them.  A pretty courageous act in these busy times!

The group first went to Hawke’s Bay where they spent some time learning about the Marist history and began the journey inward also, starting to ask the questions like ‘what is my call to action’? Obviously not a question that was answered straight away!  The journey continued on to Kuratau (on the shores of Lake Taupo) then further on to Jerusalem, up the Whanganui River where the group learned about Suzanne Aubert – the Founder of the Sisters of Compassion.  This is always a fundamental part of the yearly pilgrimage as we connect the with the stories of Suzanne Aubert and of a well-respected New Zealand poet, James K. Baxter who spent a good deal of time in Jerusalem.  These stories help to further explore the question, ‘what is my call to action?’. The pilgrimage continued to Otaki, where the group visited Pukekaraka Marae – an important part of Challenge 2000’s journey, as Challenge whanau have been visiting there since Challenge began.  

As the pilgrimage came to a close, the participants took time to reflect on where they had been – both internally and externally and all said that they had learned a great deal and had a great experience – even though at times it was challenging! 

While every year the pilgrimage is different, because the people are always different, the fundamentals remain…..through travelling around Aotearoa New Zealand the participants get a sense of who they are in relation to their country.  Through travelling with fellow pilgrims, the participants learn about who they are in relation to others.  And through travelling inwards, the participants start to answer the question of who they are and what they are called to become.

Pilgrimage is run yearly in December. If you wish to be a part of it please contact us.

Whanganui Awa Children came to visit us!

Out for a walk exploring Wellington

Challenge 2000 and the Sisters of Compassion have had a long standing friendship, one that is greatly valued as we can learn so much from the Sisters who answer the call of the gospel every day!  We were first introduced to the children and staff at the Whanganui Awa School by the Sisters of Compassion  when we performed a nativity play two years ago at the school. 

We were lucky enough to have the children visit us in Wellington recently!  We had looked forward to their visit for a long time, and with lots of planning and the help of some very generous people all the plans became a reality.  This was the first time that some of the children had ever been to Wellington so it was very exciting for them!

During their time in Wellington the children visited Te Papa, Parliament, spent time with the Sisters of Compassion in Island Bay, shared meals, visited the Police College and museum, visited the Carter Observatory and had lots of time play and laughter.  It was a very special time for us and them, and we look forward to seeing the children again, both in their place and in ours in the future.

Christmas Parade 2011

 

Challenge 2000 Santa Parade Crew

The Challenge 2000 team had a float in annual Johnsonville Christmas Parade again this year.  It was a beautiful Wellington day with hardly any wind the sun shone brightly!

We went for a ‘Kiwi Christmas’ theme this year as we felt it encapsulated part of who we are both as a community and as part of the wider community of Aotearoa New Zealand.

It was a fun day with flag twirling from our new social worker from the USA, spraying the crowd with water guns, Santa on a boat wearing summer attire (with his able helper – a four year old Superman), “The C2K Angels” and various little helpers.

A few of our team were on the ‘Johnsonville Churches’ float – one of our young emerging stars was Joseph on the float, he really looked the part and we were very proud of him.

We had a fun day as a team, but we also really enjoyed being part of the wider Johnsonville Community – sharing the day with other people in the parade and also seeing the smiling faces of  children, young people and their families who came out to watch the parade.  A reminder to us that we are part of a wider community and that together we can make a difference.

Court Supervised Camp

Challenge 2000 provide the Court Supervised Camp Programme as part of our Fresh Start Services.

The Camps this year have been a great success – our young people have enjoyed their experiences in the Great Outdoors. There they have been challenged to discover who they are and what life choices they need to make. Awareness of self, others and the responsibilities of being a citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand is developed while sitting around a camp fire, doing a weka walk, kayaking down a river, working to help others and living simply – away from the pressures of city life.

Our last Camp departed on December 5 and was be led by Heath Hutton, Steve Tamarapa and Manu Maihi-Ioane. These staff members have continued to mentor and support the young participants as they transferred the achievements of the Court Supervised Camp back into their home lives. This aspect is a contributor to the success of the Camp –its a seamless community based service.

Any referrals you’d like to make for this camp or any future camp please contact us on 477 6827 and speak with either Bridget Roche or Heath Hutton.

 

 

 

All the Way from Brazil…

My name is Jose Texieira, I’m Brazilian and I arrived in New Zealand on the 24th of July with the objective to learn English, see places and understand the culture of this beautiful country.

Through Fr. Mike (a Marist Priest who has lived in Brazil) I learnt about Challenge 2000.

I was thinking of staying for one or two weeks in Wellington to work as a volunteer but something made me stay longer.  As I couldn’t understand the language and activities taking place at Challenge 2000, I started out by only observing.  Through actions and non- verbal communication, I started understanding that there was a very spiritual base to their work.

The main objective of this agency is to show youth the light of change each and every day.  We all are born equal of God and because of our journeys in life, we may take paths that are not the most beneficial to us.  Challenge 2000 (C2K) helps people find their light and follow a right path.

Challenge 2000 believes that everyone can uncover their dignity, value, and brilliance and to also understand that it can be a tough journey but that it ispossible.   They give people the opportunity to grow and start over.  In a short amount of time, I have seen big transformations in young people in all the various activities. 

They help people obtain food; help people move houses, clean up neighbourhoods, and provide a save and caring environment for youth to grow.  C2K believes that youth are agents of transformation and can change the situations in which they live.

I have been fortunate to participate in many important moments, such as a baptism, graduation of youth from the Odessy and outdoor Camp programs.  The youth camp program, gave the young persons opportunities to get to know their abilities, values and ways to improve themselves.  They talk about their personal histories to help them realize what is important to change and meet their future goals.  Also, the youth workers treat the youth with dignity and kindness and give them the opportunity to learn important societal values. 

Challenge 2000 also gives special attention to minority groups.  In Brazil, I perform pastoral work with gypsies and I understand how minority groups can suffer. In this group, I’ve met people who bring a rich culture and in Challenge, they have an opportunity to express themselves and share their strengths.

To be able to run all the projects and activities, Challenge 2000 counts on the help of so many people, some with prayers, giving their time, or by financial assistance.  I see that at this time, they are in need of financial support to buy a new van.  The van is important to help continue the success of programs such as the Odessy and camping excursions. 

I’m very happy that I’ve met this group.  It helps remind me, that Jesus is not forgotten.  Challenge 2000 doesn’t discriminate against race, colour, or religion and I hope that many people can get to know and help this group accomplish its goals.