Voyce - Whakarongi Mai
VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai believes every young person is a taonga.
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What are the VOYCE 'Pou'?
We have five ‘Pou’ or pillars that represent how we work with young people. Tamariki and rangatahi with care experience decided what our Pou should be, when VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai was first created back in 2015.
In 2019, care experienced young people worked with Māori artist, Shane Hansen, to create the Pou images we use across the whole organisation, including our t-shirts!
WHAKAMANA
We advocate with children and young people in care – represented by the Tohora (Southern Right Whale), helping to navigate the sometimes turbulent waters, safely and supportively.
WHAI PUKENGA
We help equip children and young people in care for their future – represented by the Tuatara. At harmony with its surroundings with motifs that express positive engagement, growth and preparations for the future.
We promote the collective voice of children and young people in care – represented by the Tui, proud, poised and ready to sing for everyone to hear.
TUHONO
We connect children and young people in care with each other and with their significant others – represented by the Pūngāwerewere (Funnel Web Spider) which always works hard to keep the threads of its web connected and strong.
RANGATIRATANGA
We build leadership among children and young people in care – represented by the mighty, powerful Tōtara, the intertwined koru and flowing lines representing rangatahi, journeys and relationship building.
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0800 4 VOYCE / 0800 486 923
Here are some other places that can help if you’re looking for someone to talk to:
Need to talk? Free call or text 1737
What’s Up: 0800 WHAT‘S UP / 0800 942 8787 / webchat
Youthline: 0800 376 633 / free text 234 / webchat
Caring Families Aotearoa:0800 693 323 / enquiries@caringfamilies.org.nz
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:0800 472 637 / office2@grg.org.nz
VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai believes every young person is a taonga. We help tamariki and rangatahi in care to live with the aroha, safety and respect they deserve. We support young people to have their voices heard, their needs met, and their rights upheld.
What is VOYCE?
VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai stands for Voices of Young and Care Experienced – Listen to Me.
VOYCE works with pēpi (babies), tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) who are in care, or have been in care.
Being in care means you live with someone who isn’t your mum or dad. You might live with other family members, caregivers, or in a group home or residence.
If you’re in care, we can help you to understand what’s happening in your life and make sure the adults listen to you.
We also run events (we call them tūhono), where you can meet other kids who are in care!
What's a Kaiwhakamana?
A Kaiwhakamana is an advocate – someone who has got your back. They help you have a say and make sense of what’s going on. They make sure the adults listen to you and understand how you feel.
Kaiwhakamana can help you to have your voice heard on lots of things, like spending time with your siblings, getting pocket money, contacting your social worker, going to hui and figuring things out when you leave care.
If you want to spend time with your kaiwhakamana, you get to decide where you hang out and what you talk about. You’re the boss!
We have heaps of fun projects and cool events happening all the time. You don’t have to wait until there’s a problem to get involved.
Get in touch or reach out to your Kaiwhakamana!
Whāngai / Whānau Care - Whānau care is where a child is being raised by someone in their whānau or extended family. Often it means a child living with their grandparents – but could also be another family member like an aunt, uncle or older sibling. Whāngai is the traditional Māori practice of whānau care.
Foster Care - Foster Care is where children and young people who can’t live with their families are looked after by caregivers they’re not related to. Foster Care can be short-term or long-term, and usually involves Oranga Tamariki or a community Foster Care provider.
Group Homes & Residences - Group Homes and Residences have staff who should be trained to work with groups of young people whose needs are best looked after in a residential setting. These placements are usually temporary and should give young people more structure and supervision than they might get in other types of care.
Youth Justice - The youth justice system in Aotearoa is set up to deal with children aged 10-13 and young people aged 14-18 who have done something illegal. Being in the custody of the Police, Oranga Tamariki or Corrections as a young person is a form of care, whether it’s in Police cells, a community remand home, a Youth Justice secure residence, or an adult prison.
Permanent Care - Permanent Care is when foster or whānau caregivers apply for Guardianship Orders under the Care of Children Act 2004. This is sometimes called ‘Home for Life’ or ‘Permanency’, and means caregivers are committing to taking care of a child permanently.
Leaving Care - There are a few ways young people leave care. Sometimes a young person is supported to return home after spending time in care. Sometimes a young person leaves care to live independently before they are an adult. Sometimes a young person “ages out” of being in care when they turn 18 years.
The team at VOYCE meets with young people who are in care, and listens to them. If your young person is in care, we can help to make sure the adults in their life are listening to them. We help young people get the information they need, and make sure they understand what’s happening in their life. VOYCE helps them have their say and understand their care journey. VOYCE also runs connection events (we call them Tūhono), where care experienced young people can spend time together.
What is a VOYCE Regional Youth Council?
Our Regional Youth Councils are groups of care experienced rangatahi from across Aotearoa who meet in regional groups. Together, they help to inform the work that VOYCE does, as well as helping us to know what regional issues are faced by kids in care in their area. Being part of a Regional Youth Council is a great way to meet other young people with care experience, as well as be involved in something that helps create change in the care sector. If you’d like to learn more, or you’re thinking about joining a regional youth council, get in touch with us by emailing contactus@voyce.org.nz
What have we achieved?
Since we opened in 2017, VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai has been working hard to make sure young people have their say in lots of different ways. Here’s some of the things we’ve achieved so far:
We’ve opened nine offices all over the country!
We’ve launched a range of comic books and magazines!
We’ve made submissions to Parliament and the United Nations!
We’ve run campaigns and petitions!
We’ve created Youth Councils with young people from all over the country!
