Rangatahi Mental Health Symposium
Working Together for Rangatahi: Highlights from the Rangatahi Mental Health Symposium
On May 29th, providers, advocates, and changemakers from across the Wellington region gathered at Pātaka in Porirua for a full-day symposium focused on the mental health and well-being of rangatahi. The event was an opportunity to strengthen relationships, share powerful kōrero, and collectively reimagine systems that put young people at the centre.
The symposium featured four key speakers, each bringing a different lens and lived experience to the kaupapa:
Reo Va’a opened the day with heartfelt insights from his work as a counsellor over the years and more recently at The502 in Porirua.
Dr. Wendy Allan offered perspectives as a clinical psychologist in working with complex trauma, grounded in her work on the Relational Learning Framework.
Catherine Daniels (a.k.a The Secretkeeper), author and artist, shared her powerful journey of healing from trauma and abuse and the importance of holding speaking up and holding space with care.
Dr. Sascha Feary, psychiatry registrar, closed the speaker sessions with reflections that wove the day’s themes together and provided us with insights on ‘Predictive Processing’ and the need for us to be engaged in an ongoing active process of understanding ourselves and the world.
The final networking session offered an opportunity for providers to connect more deeply, share whakaaro, and offer heartfelt reflections on the day’s kaupapa.
“Awesome day. Really uplifting from start to finish… amped to go share with the team what I took away from today.”
— Irasa, National Public Health Service
“With Catherine, the standout was, you had a safe space, but they abused it… My takeaway is how am I going to turn up for my rangatahi, giving that safe space and knowing when to and when not to.”
— Pagan, Cannons Creek Boxing Academy
“I appreciate the beautiful mix you have given us… the playfulness you brought to today, the wonderful content, and the big community of people working with our tamariki and rangatahi.”
— Linda, Big Brothers Big Sisters
We are grateful to everyone who helped shape this day, from the organising team and speakers to every attendee (both in person and on-line) who brought their voice, their story, and their commitment to supporting rangatahi.
A special thank you also goes out to our funders Atareira and CAMHS, Te Whatu Ora|Health NZ for making this kaupapa possible, and to our incredible MCs, Latu To'omaga and Ane Alipia from The502, who held the room with warmth, humour and care amidst some heavy but important kōrero.
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