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From the perspective of a Social Work student privileged to have spent 3 months here at Sowers Trust on placement! Here are some of the amazing things happening here. 😊
Monday mornings feel active and refreshing here at the Picton Centre (the building housing HCC and Sowers) with a community group meet up before heading off on a brisk walk. (They also meet Weds). Meanwhile downstairs in the Sowers office spaces, the team set the scene with a staff meeting.
The team consists of Social Workers Mele and Belinda, Youth Workers Lucky and George, and Occupational Therapist/Family Worker Verona. HCC staff upstairs are also part of the family at Sowers. Sowers çlients’ are of all ages; sometimes self-referred; sometimes by other practitioners, sometimes by the police, eg. for “Alternative Action” plans. The workers may choose to use the versatile spaces here in the building to meet with clients, or go to the clients home, or at another location. Sometimes youth mentoring appointments take place on the child’s school grounds. Sowers also provide support for clients at Family Group Conferences, or in court. Sowers workers are flexible with other advocacy and support services, eg. arranging counselling or budgeting services and transport.
Back to Mondays! – in the afternoon Belinda heads out and runs a group at a local primary school. School groups are on a school term schedule, and cover topics and strategies around managing emotions and anxiety. The children thoroughly enjoy these sessions, develop confidence and take away skills for everyday life. Mondays end with an active feel too; with a teen boys’ Boxing and mentoring group.
On Tuesdays some of the HCC staff join the Sowers team for meetings, followed by all the usual comings and goings. The boxing group takes place again on a Tuesday. During my time here high-school industrial strike action meant local youth were at a loose end, and Sowers stepped in to provide get-togethers with activities.
Fortnightly on a Wednesday morning, an HCC mum and other volunteers put on a mums and bubs group, Éxhale’- run in the Minerva space (or upstairs if Minerva is otherwise booked). Plenty of clean, colourful and interesting toys are set up, a table for play dough and colouring in, and another area for eating. The morning is for free play, tea, coffee, and there is a short music session part way through.
Another school group takes place at a local school on Thursdays, this time with older children.
Every term on Wednesdays and Thursdays the lovely Verona runs Teen and 0-10 years parenting courses by “Triple P” upstairs in the bright ‘Seymour’ room space. This is a friendly and informal but informative time with digestible short videos and discussion times between.
And once a month a community event takes place here – “Two Coats” clothing co-op receives donations which the staff and other volunteers display on clothes racks and tables in sizes and categories. The community is invited to come and see if a clothing need they have can be met here, and share some time over tea, coffee and food.
Whilst I was here we also visited Oranga Tamariki to connect, as well as met with the largest and closest police station where we shared food, strengthened relationships, made new connections, and even had a tour of their building and all its busy tasks taking place. Sowers also partner and learn from “Tamaki Community Development Trust”, a sister-agency in a neighbouring suburb. These relationships reciprocally support each other and the community.
I sense the team at Sowers are regarded as friends by those they have relationships with, and their clients look forward to seeing them. I believe this is because Sowers has taken the time to build and maintain those relationships with trust and integrity. Workers are approachable and the atmosphere is non-threatening and kind.
Vicki Ryan