Te Rourou: Empowering Rangatahi through Community-Driven Initiatives in Southland
Diving into the work Stacy and the team from Te Rourou are doing in the Southland community offers an inspiring example of Community-Led Development from which we can all draw valuable lessons. Te Rourou, the philanthropic branch of One NZ, is deeply committed to fostering an equitable future for Aotearoa's rangatahi (youth). As a charitable trust, Te Rourou not only operates with funding from One NZ but actively funds community projects that align with their mission to create thriving opportunities for young people. Stacy shared, "Te Rourou is committed to creating an equitable Aotearoa for our rangatahi," highlighting the organisation's dedication to addressing the disparities faced by young New Zealanders.
Celebrating its 20th year, Te Rourou has embarked on a strategic shift to amplify its impact. By adopting a place-based initiative approach, the organisation has concentrated its resources on the Southland region, aiming to establish a model that can be replicated in other regions. "Rather than being slightly ad hoc, they decided to refocus to create a better impact," Stacy shared.
The choice of Southland was deliberate, driven by statistics showing that 30% of rangatahi in the area had experienced some form of disadvantage, from the care and protection system to low education and employment outcomes. The idea was that if they could create a blueprint for what worked in one region, then this framework could be duplicated in other regions.
To develop an effective strategy, Te Rourou knew it had to be "designed with the community." This meant engaging with local iwi, the youth sector, and young people themselves to gather insights into their aspirations, challenges, and the barriers they face. "We needed to know what lived experience looked like for those young people," Stacy explained. All of this listening helped the team to understand the real-world contexts of the rangatahi they aimed to support.
This community-centric approach led to the establishment of a participatory funding model, ensuring that "whoever the grant was going to benefit, they needed to be involved in the grant-making process." This model reflects a core principle of community-led development, where the community takes the lead in identifying and addressing its own needs.
Stacy and the team in the Invercargill office play crucial roles in maintaining the integrity of this model, focusing on "connecting, collaborating, and building capacity" within the community. He shared insights into the benefits of this approach, noting that much of their work involves "validating all the good work people are already doing here." This perspective is vital, as it recognises and supports the existing strengths within the community, rather than imposing new initiatives.
A key challenge for Stacy and his team was realising they don’t need to be the expert in every aspect of youth development in Southland. Instead, their role is to facilitate connections and empower the community to lead its own development.
Highlighting a success story, Stacy spoke of a group of youth who propelled Māori sports into the mainstream within Southland, significantly increasing participation and visibility of Ki-O-Rahi, a traditional Māori game. "They literally mainstreamed Māori sports amongst secondary schools and primary schools here, in the space of two years, that’s huge," Stacy proudly remarked.
Success for Te Rourou is measured not just by outcomes but by narratives. The organisation places great importance on storytelling as a means to share impact and inspire involvement. Stacy’s parting thought, "nothing for me, without me," succinctly captures the essence of community-led development, highlighting the necessity for those affected by decisions to be actively involved in the decision-making process. This philosophy ensures that the journey towards equitable opportunities for rangatahi is not only directed by those it aims to benefit but is also reflective of their aspirations, challenges, and ultimate goals
Focus on Community Needs and Desires: Initiatives are driven by what the community itself has identified as important, ensuring that projects are relevant and impactful.
Adoption of Place-Based Initiatives: Concentrating resources on a specific region to deepen the impact and create a model that can be replicated elsewhere, demonstrating the effectiveness of focused, localised efforts.
Engagement with Local Communities and Iwi: Engaging deeply with the community, including local iwi, to gather insights and ensure that projects are culturally sensitive and aligned with local aspirations.
Participatory Funding Model: Involving those who will benefit from the projects in the grant-making process, ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and ownership over the outcomes.
Building Capacity Within the Community: Employing staff to connect, collaborate, and build capacity within the community, focusing on empowering local individuals and groups.
Validation of Existing Community Efforts: Recognising and supporting the good work already being done within the community, rather than always starting new initiatives, to strengthen existing efforts and resources.
Facilitating Connections and Empowerment: Emphasising the role of facilitators in making connections and empowering the community, rather than needing to be experts in every area of youth development.
Measurement Through Narrative: Using storytelling to measure and share the impact of initiatives, highlighting the importance of qualitative outcomes alongside quantitative metrics.
Involving Affected Individuals in Decision-Making: Ensuring that those who are affected by any decisions are actively involved in making those decisions, embodying the principle of "nothing for me, without me."
