A day to give back.

In the past, many of our clients have been the opposite of what would be considered a ‘good neighbour’, and this often weighs on them. So, when there’s an opportunity to give back to the community, our guys get behind it.

This was the case at our recent community day, where ten of our clients came together to help out with the maintenance of Drug Arm’s Art East studio building. Art East is a close partner of Pathway, particularly because they run an art group in the Navigate Initiative unit at Christchurch Men’s Prison each week. Through these art groups, many of our Tū Ora have good relationships with the Art East team. “The level of respect that they have for the Drug Arm staff coming into the NI is huge,” Reintegration Navigator, Milly points out, “Which is why it was super important for them to be able to go and give back to them and do something for that building.”

The team of Tū Ora, alongside our staff and volunteers, rolled up their sleeves and got to work one Saturday Morning. Windows were sanded and painted. Floors were undercoated and given fresh coats. Shelves were built and installed, and when the work was done, everyone gathered to share a meal together.

What made the day particularly powerful was the presence of volunteers. "I saw the smiles on the faces of our Tū Ora, the realisation that 'this person knows nothing really about me and we're building a shelf together,'" Milly recalls. "That's priceless for their self-esteem and self-worth. To have someone from the community who sees them as a person, not a prisoner." 

Milly noticed something else, too. "It's great to see so many men engaged and doing well, and some longer-term guys too.” For many of these men, community support is sparse "The guys generally don't have community support," Milly notes. "So when they come to these events and see the community around them, they feel part of it, not separated from it." 

We want to continue doing these community days, and Milly has her eyes on an adventure for the next one. “There's a lot of fear for the men, going out and trying different things on their own, so having a group makes it a lot easier. Fishing is a big passion for lots of them, so we’d love to do that next." 

If you have fishing gear or expertise that you’d like to donate to this initiative, get in touch with us at connect@pathway.org.nz