Instead of "just sitting on the fence" following last year's fatal stabbing of a teenager at Dunedin's bus hub, Pacific Trust Otago (PTO) is planning a ground-breaking three-year initiative aimed at stopping anything like it happening again.
PTO has just received an Otago Community Trust grant of $425,000 to create a programme aimed at empowering and supporting Pacific youth aged 16-24, through a youth-led approach that will shape its development in Dunedin
A 13-year-old boy has been accused of stabbing and killing 16-year-old Pasifika student Enere McLaren-Taana at the Dunedin Bus Hub, in Great King St, in May last year
PTO chief executive Fa'animo Elisara-Too said the incident had shaken the Pasifika community to the core, and continued to do so.
"The bus hub incident is only one of many, many issues over the years.
"Instead of just sitting on the fence and expecting so-and-so to look after them, this is us taking ownership of those issues and saying, `if people are willing to support us with our vision, then let's all stand up and do it'.
"We can no longer just talk about it. It's now time for action; putting something in place that's going to ensure that things will be put in place, that the future of the young people, not only our own, but that of Otago, is secured.
"Then we can rest at night, knowing that there'll be something, a legacy left behind for these young people to grow."
The initiative would unfold in strategic phases, beginning with a comprehensive research and strategy development year, Mrs Elisara-Too said.
"In the first year, PTO will engage with Tangata Moana [Pasifika] youth through talanoa [traditional Pacific dialogue] to understand their needs, aspirations and challenges.
"For example, all the issues they face in terms of the negative complexities in balancing their heritage versus life in Aotearoa, facing disparities in education, employment and wellbeing.
"Many of these challenges have continued to build on top of each other and we weren't really getting anywhere.
"This youth-led approach will inform the creation of a targeted strategy and action plan, ensuring the initiative is deeply rooted in the community's actual experiences and desires."
During years two and three, the focus would shift to implementing the action plan developed in year one, she said.
Potential initiatives may include a series of workshops and events focused on addressing critical areas of youth development.
"At present, these focus areas include mental wellbeing, expanding career opportunities and exploring cultural arts programming.
"This transformational vision goes beyond immediate youth support. It directly responds to the challenges faced by Pacific migrants and their descendants in Aotearoa," she said.
"By bringing together youth, parents, grandparents, church, and community leaders, the project aims to strengthen Pacific languages, arts, music, spirituality and indigenous knowledge," Mrs Elisara-Too said.
Key objectives of the project included increasing pride in Pacific cultural identities that acknowledge and respect tangata whenua as indigenous people of Aotearoa, promoting positive mental wellbeing, improving intergenerational communication, strengthening community belonging and inspiring youth through successful Pasifika role models, she said.
The initiative was a "strategic investment" in creating sustainable pathways for Tangata Moana youth.
"We don't just want to sit on the fence any more. Words are not enough for us.
"We want to build resilience and creativity and cultural richness within our own people.
"Together, we invest in their journey, nurturing a generation empowered to honour our past while shaping their future filled with hope, resilience, and possibility."
