Creating Connections with Who Did You Help Today

Chris Theobald is now principal at Bishop Viard College in Porirua - he was formally principal of Holy Family School in Cannons Creek which was our first Homework Club school. In this podcast, Chris talks about the impact Homework Club has had on the children and their whanau and also how the volunteers or 'lawyer friends' as he calls them have benefited from being part of the Cannons Creek community.      

Alex Christie is a lawyer who volunteers for Mothers Project, a programme where volunteers go into women's prisons to assist imprisoned mothers try and maintain meaningful connections with their children. Why? Because children aren’t responsible for their mother’s offending, they're just like another victim and mothers often want their kids to know that even though they’re in a prison, they haven’t stopped thinking about them and wanting what’s best for them.  Giving these mothers the support they need to turn their own lives around will have a positive impact on their children, families and our communities. Alex is off to walk 1,300km to raise money for the Mothers Project Storybook Programme which helps imprisoned mothers and their children connect - by reading stories, mothers use their own voices to love, comfort and encourage their children even though they're not at home. It's all about children receiving a book they know their mum held and hearing their mum's voice as she reads it to them. It's also about empowering mothers and helping them to read and connect with their children.  All the money raised by Alex will go directly to purchasing more books and recording devices to provide more mothers with books and more children the opportunity to have that special connection. To donate to Alex's fundraiser click here: Give A Little Alex Hikes Te Araroa for Mothers Project

"Imagine being defined by the worst thing that ever happened to you and imagine that one thing hanging over your head and the whole world having the opportunity to judge you on that  - it's like an invisible sign that hangs around your neck that says 'she did something bad so we're allowed to judge her everywhere  she goes'?"  Sharon Richardson was incarcerated for 20 years for a crime directly related to her history as a survivor of intimate partner violence. She joins us in this latest episode of Creating Connections to talk about how she found her purpose and why we need to stop pointing the finger and judging people for what they did wrong - because we've all done something wrong or made a bad choice in our lives. When Sharon was released from prison she established not for profit organisation Reentry Rocks and catering company Just Soul Catering to help formally incarcerated women acheive their goals, become leaders, and rebuild their lives.  “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be un-lived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” — Maya Angelou 

"Aotearoa is a country that values all children and removes barriers to our kids succeeding so they can have the future they deserve and they can reach their dreams." Lorraine Taylor, CEO Spend My Super. Spend My Super is a community of superannuants who combine their donations and voices to give all Kiwi kids a fair chance. In this latest episode of Creating Connections, Spend My Super CEO, Lorraine Taylor joins us to discuss her vision for New Zealand and explain how the organisation pools the resources of superannuatants to help its charity partners solve poverty and change the future for the estimated 235,000 New Zealand children who are living in poverty.

Parenting HQ and Dad's HQ help and support parents and their children navigate the complexities of family life.In this episode of Creating Connections we connect with Cath & Shayne Jeffares, founders of Parenting HQ and Dad's HQ, to get their perspective on modern day parenting and how we can support and encourage our kids to strive to be what they want to be and reach their potential while making sure they don't fall through the gaps.    "I started as most of us do - parenting the same way as we ourselves were parented. I think it’s most parents default parenting style. I learnt along the way that there are other more peaceful and respectful ways to connect with our kids and when I changed as a parent our home and family changed. No more battles with kids just a calm and peace for us all." Cath Jeffares. Click on the links for more information:Parenting HQDad's HQWho Did You Help Today?

Wesley Community Action works in communities throughout Wellington to help people create better lives for themselves and their whānau. In this episode of Creating Connections we chat to director David Hanna to find out more about how they empower communities, neighbourhoods and whānau to be active in creating and imagining something better, and why this approach is so much more powerful than thinking 'we've' got the solution which will fix something and someone. To find out more about Wesley Community Action and the work they do - click this linkhttps://www.wesleyca.org.nz/   

Addiction - it's a massive problem that destroys lives and families and can have serious implications on a person’s medical and physical health and for some people, can end in death. In this episode, we have a very honest and raw chat about addiction with Denise Cloughley from Seeking Solace who is a specialist in facilitating help and support for people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol and who are looking to get well and rebuild their lives.  Denise provides invaluable insight into addiction - what causes addiction, the catalyst for seeking help and why people struggle to find the help they need, when they need it. Denise has just finished writing her book Poured Me A Glass Of Life which details her journey in choosing life over the bottle. If you or someone you know would like help or support for their addiction click on these links for more information:Seeking Solace: Solace is a drug and alcohol treatment consultancy that facilitates getting you the immediate help and support you need to get well and to rebuild your life. CareNZ: CareNZ is committed to helping people live a life free from the harms of alcohol or other drugs.Alcohol Drug Helpline: Call 0800 787 797 or text 8681, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to speak with a trained counsellor. All calls are free and confidential.Drug Help NZ: DrugHelp is a programme with guidance and peer review from New Zealand based addiction treatment expertsAlcohol NZ: Get information, advice, research and resources to help prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm in New Zealand 

Jason is the principal at Tairangi School in Porirua. In this episode of Creating Connections we talk about why we need to be solving underlying root causes to make meaningful change in our communities. Jason provides us with very valuable insight into what is and what isn't working, and the impact this has on those who live and work within his community, the issues we face as a country and why we need to refocus to look at solutions, not symptoms. This is a slightly longer chat than we'd normally have, but Jason's knowledge and commentary will help us all challenge the systemic disparity and imbalance that exists in New Zealand.  Check out our Who Did You Help Today website for more information.       

Ang Jury is CEO of Women's Refuge, New Zealand's largest nation-wide organisation that supports and helps women and children experiencing family violence. "We need to stop doing this to each other" Ang Jury CEO Women's Refuge New Zealand has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the developed world, with one in three women experiencing domestic violence in her lifetime. In this episode of Creating Connections, we have a very honest conversation with Ang to find out what we can do to make Aotearoa a country where every woman and child, no matter who they are or where they come from, feel loved, valued and safe. Despite these disturbing statistics, Ang's vision is for a country where refuge is no longer needed - a country where our focus is on growing great people, not helping those who are hurt, a country where relationships are good and healthy. In this podcast, she asks us all to commit to changing these domestic violence statistics and have a sustained conversation that is transparent and non-judgmental. Want to know more about Who Did You Help Today?. Check out our website www.whodidyouhelptoday.org.nz If you feel unsafe, or are worried about someone you know, there are several ways you can get in contact with Women's Refuge: Ring their crisis line on 0800 REFUGEFind your local Refuge on their website hereSend a FB message through Women’s Refuge FB PageEmail on info@refuge.org.nzSend a confidential message through our Shielded Site feature found on The Warehouse, NZ Post and many other major websitesIf you or a family member are in immediate danger call 111    

254,000 kiwi children live in poverty - it's a sobering statistic. We know education changes lives and for these children, it can be the ticket out of poverty. In this episode we connect with Julie Chapman CEO of KidsCan, to find out how we make sure every single child in New Zealand has an equal chance of learning and the opportunity to reach their full potential. We're creating connections to grow social good in New Zealand.  

We connect with Stacey Shortall to chat about the issues that matter to her. Stacey is a litigation partner at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, founder of charitable trust Who Did You Help Today? and online forum Our Words Matter.  She is an incredibly passionate advocate for the wellbeing of New Zealanders and is committed to finding ways to make life better for everyone who lives here. Stacey shares her thoughts on why we need to become more courageous and vulnerable if we want to make a difference and her vision for New Zealand. For more information visit Who Did You Help Today