Youth voices were heard loud and clear at Pou Tautoko
Rangatahi – ProCare’s first ever youth health forum.
Held on 25 March, rangatahi from across Auckland gathered at
the University of Auckland to spend a day interacting with
industry experts in youth mental health, alcohol, vaping and
other drugs, and share their thoughts on how healthcare can
better tackle these issues.
Some of the guest speakers
included Chlöe Swarbrick, MP for Auckland
Central and Green spokesperson on drug reform and mental
health; Hon. Willow-Jean Prime, Minister
for Youth and Associate Minister for Health;
Shaqaila Uelese, Co-director/Founder of
mental health organisation Nevertheless; Professor
Dr Kerry Gibson, a clinical psychologist in the
School of Psychology at the University of Auckland;
Romy Lee, Youth Advisory/Peer Workforce
Development Lead at Whāraurau, Aotearoa’s national
workforce development programme; and Dr Sam
Manuela, Senior Lecturer at the School of
Psychology at The University of Auckland.
Bindi
Norwell, Group Chief Executive at ProCare attended the forum
and received the feedback the groups had come up with
throughout the day: “It was fantastic to be at the forum
and hear from passionate rangatahi on issues that clearly
mean a lot to them. There was a real buzz in the room, and
we have received some fantastic feedback that we will take
on board as an organisation to share with our general
practices and colleagues across the healthcare
arena.
“I also want to say a big thank-you to our
industry experts who shared their knowledge and expertise
with the forum throughout the day. We hope your stories
inspire our young people to follow in your footsteps and
contribute to a better health system!” concludes
Norwell.
Shaqaila Uelese, keynote speaker on mental
health, says: “These kinds of events are so important for
rangatahi from all walks of life to help them realise that
the issues that they face, and often feel so isolated in
dealing with, are actually more common than they may
realise.
“Coming together in a room and discussing
these issues helps them feel less alone and equips them with
tools and resources to use in their everyday lives,”
concludes Uelese.
Mihi Blair, Kaiwhakahaere Hauora
Māori, Mana Taurite (GM of Māori Health and Equity), at
ProCare says: “We had fantastic representation from our
Māori and Pacific rangatahi at this forum, and we are so
pleased we could capture their views.
“The forum
topics, particularly vaping, alcohol and other drugs,
disproportionately affect Māori and Pacific people over
other ethnic groups, so having their input into how we can
tackle these issues is fantastic,” concludes
Blair.
The forum was led by ProCare’s Youth Advisory
Group (YAG) and Equity team. YAG Co-Chair, Oggy Nweke, says
“we are so grateful to ProCare and the University of
Auckland for sponsoring this forum. From speaking to some of
the attendees, they were excited to be part of something
that valued their opinions on health issues that are so
important, especially during this stage of life.
“We
hope that the valuable insights into how youth perceive the
health system will be taken on board by not only
organisations like ProCare, but also Government,”
concludes Nweke.
The information gathered at the forum
will be used in shaping ProCare’s strategy for engaging
youth in health and will inform advocacy and submissions on
behalf of our
communities.
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