Wise Group

Have you heard of mental health first aid? Just like physical first aid, it's a skill that anyone can learn, and everyone should know.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Aotearoa is an internationally recognised, evidence-based programme that is licensed in New Zealand by Te Pou, one of our Wise Group whānau.

Mental Health First Aid workshops teaches participants how to recognise when someone is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, and equips them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to support them using a five-step action plan.

Visit mentalhealthfirstaid.nz or follow them on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/mental-health-first-aid-aotearoa-new-zealand or Facebook to find out more!

Mental Health First Aid Aotearoa The home of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Aotearoa, licensed to Te Pou in Aotearoa New Zealand

Mānawatia a Matariki! On behalf of the Wise Group, we would like to wish everyone a wonderful Matariki. ✨

Blueprint for Learning (part of our Wise Group whānau) has shared some ideas of how you can celebrate Matariki using the Te Whare Tapa Whā model. For inspiration, see below 👇

Real supports young people with their mental health and wellbeing needs and are part of the Wise Group whānau.
They have just launched their new website www.real.org.nz
Check it out!

We're stoked to let you know that our brand-new website is live! Check it out: www.real.org.nz

There are a ton of new things to explore. Here are some of our favourites:
💚 Resources to support your wellbeing: www.real.org.nz/support/wellbeing-resources
🤝 Find and contact Real services in your area: www.real.org.nz/locations
📚 Read stories from our services across the motu: www.real.org.nz/stories

Read the latest eNewsletter from Le Va

Le Va eNews April 2024 Malo e lelei, warm Pacific greetings and welcome to Le Va's April eNewsletter. As we move further into the cooler months of Autumn, this has been a good opportunity for our team to regather after a very high energy period last month. April has seen us reconnecting with our peers, partners and comm...

Just a Thought are part of the Wise Group whanau. They have created some free wellbeing resources for challenging times. To learn more to go: https://www.justathought.co.nz/challenging-times

Free wellbeing support for challenging times | Just a Thought Free wellbeing resources for stress, anxiety, and uncertainty

We're proud to share new University of Otago research about the significant improvements to people's wellbeing five years after first being housed by The People's Project, one of the Wise Group's Housing First services based in Kirikiriroa Hamilton and Tauranga.

Researchers looked at health, income, and justice outcomes for 387 people who had been experiencing homelessness, in the first five years after they were first housed by The People's Project in Hamilton. The data shows dramatic and ongoing improvements in mental and physical health, including:

44% drop in hospitalisations
63% drop in in-patient mental health bed-nights
74% drop in residential mental health bed-nights
36% drop in police offences
43% drop in criminal charges
And a rise in income from both benefits and paid work

The People’s Project General Manager, Kerry Hawkes, says: "From our experience, we see every day that the Housing First approach works, and that many people’s lives improve over time with consistent specialist support. This research confirms our understanding.”

You can read more about the research on the TPP website: Dramatic and continuing improvements for people housed by TPP, five years on https://www.thepeoplesproject.org.nz/dramatic-and-continuing-improvements-for-people-housed-by-tpp/

The findings have also just been published in The International Journal on Homelessness.
https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/ijoh/article/view/16747

Dramatic and continuing improvements for people housed by TPP, five years on A house first, and then ongoing specialised support led to the dramatic and continuing improvement in the well-being of people experiencing long-term homelessness.

Pathways have relaunched whānau publication now called Harikoa!
To read the first issue click here 👇
https://www.pathways.co.nz/support/harikoa-magazine

Today we launched our new-look whānau publication, Harikoa magazine! 🙌

Harikoa means joy in te reo Māori. And nothing brings us more joy than reading beautiful stories from our Pathways and Real whānau - seeing how they’re supported to live full lives, hopeful and connected to what matters to them.

Take a look at Harikoa for yourself: https://ow.ly/gRJQ50R8WQG

We truly hope that you feel the warmth, aroha and harikoa of the people reflected in our new publication.

If you are in Auckland over the next couple of days, visit Le Va fale and team at ASB Polyfest Auckland

We are grateful for the invaluable mahi our social workers across the Wise Group do supporting individuals and communities.

🌍✨ Today, we celebrate World Social Workers Day! ✨🌍

We’re so privileged to have social workers, like Michelle, who go above and beyond for the people we support. We caught up with Michelle last year to learn more about Real Talk, the group programme she co-leads in Ōtautahi.

Read more here to understand some of the amazing mahi social workers do every day: https://ow.ly/IJx950QWhtg

Check out the great free resources from Just a Thought 👇

FREE RESOURCE: We know that feeling worried or anxious can sometimes make it difficult to make decisions and work out how to solve problems. That's why we've put together this free problem-solving guide, designed to break problems down into smaller parts to make them clearer and easier to work on!

Head over to our website to find this and other great free resources to support mental health and wellbeing 💜

➡️ https://www.justathought.co.nz/resources

Great idea for wellbeing from the Blueprint for Learning Team

Take a LEAP towards making time for your mental health and wellbeing 🏃⭐

We’ve been gifted an extra day this year which means that you can finally stop using the ‘I don’t have time' excuse when it comes to prioritising your wellbeing.

Dedicate today to activities and actions that make you feel good. Whether it's a moment of mindfulness, a walk in nature, or indulging in a favourite hobby, make February 29 all about taking care of you.

What are you going to do today? 🤷

Check out Work Counts new website!
Work Counts offers practical support and training to organisations that are implementing an IPS employment support programme within their services. IPS is a proven approach that helps people find and keep jobs, while also receiving mental health treatment and support.

Home - Work Counts Work Counts: Expert IPS Support & Training for New Zealand organisations to develop and deliver IPS employment programmes with their services

A timely reminder from the Just a Thought whanau

Have you taken a break lately? And not a quick-coffee-and-check-your-phone break, but a real break — a chance to take a breath, rest, and just be in the moment for a while. Even just taking 5 minutes now will pay off in the long run, so what are you waiting for? Go take a break! 💜

Le Va's Futures that Work and Addictions Scholarships are closing on 5 February 2024.

For more information about these scholarships or to apply see below👇

Ngā mihi o te wā! As we reach an end of a busy year, we want to wish you and your whānau a safe and relaxing summer break, shared with the people important to you. Take care and we will see you in 2024.

Our Pathways whānau are encouraging you to share harikoa (joy) this festive season. To join in and celebrate, see the post below!

COMPETITION CLOSED

To get us in a festive mood we’re celebrating spreading harikoa with friends, whānau and loved ones. From today until Friday, 22 December we’ll be sharing the things that bring us harikoa (songs, food, places) and we’d love you to do the same!

To enter the draw to win a summer prize pack:
👍 FOLLOW Pathways on Facebook
📸 COMMENT on this post with how you're experiencing and/or spreading harikoa/joy this festive season.
👭 TAG your friends for an extra entry.

🎵 To get things started, here is a playlist of songs that bring us harikoa: https://ow.ly/vzBk50QeQqx

(See pinned comment for terms and conditions.)

Applications for Le Va’s 2024 Futures that Work Scholarship programme are now open!
To find out more or apply see post below👇

📣Applications are now open!📣

We are excited to announce that applications for the 2024 Futures that Work Mental Health, Addictions and Problem Gambling Scholarships programme are officially open!

Don't miss your opportunity to get your:
- Fees paid
- Study sorted
- Dream job!

For more information or to apply: visit ➡️ https://www.leva.co.nz/training-education/scholarships/futures-that-work-scholarships-apply/
Terms and conditions apply.

Applications close on 5 February 2024!

Some fun but useful reminders from the Just a Thought team this Halloween.

Blueprint for Learning has just released it's latest workshop, Weathering the Storm. It focusing on emotional impact of extreme weather events. To find out more see below or visit https://www.blueprint.co.nz/workshops/weathering-the-storm/

We have seen some pretty severe weather events batter the motu this year. For many people, the effects extend way beyond property damage and are ongoing.

That's why we're proud to announce the launch of our brand new workshop, Weathering the Storm.

Weathering the Storm focuses on the emotional impact of extreme weather events, recognising that while these have a significant impact on property and infrastructure, they also significantly impact people’s mental health. The 4-hour workshop explores weather-related anxiety and the range of impacts extreme weather can have on individuals, whānau and communities.

Visit our website to register for a workshop or find out more:
https://www.blueprint.co.nz/workshops/weathering-the-storm/

Pathways Spring edition of Connections newsletter is now available. See link below to read.
https://www.pathways.co.nz/info-for-family-and-whanau/

Our latest Connections newsletter is out now! Grab a cuppa and dive into this packed issue! Check it out here: https://ow.ly/wZbU50PUTvi

In this issue:
💼 Page 6-7: Learn more about employment as a health intervention
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Page 4: Our ongoing commitment to inclusive language
📝 Page 8: Secrets to managing stress from our child and youth director, Miriam Swanson
💬 Back page fold out: Helpful kupu to guide your wellbeing kōrero.

He pānui aituā! Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Professor Richie Poulton CNZM FRSNZ, a treasured friend, celebrated researcher and dedicated Wise Group trustee. Richie brought a brilliant focus on using evidence, research and data to his governance work, alongside a lifelong dedication to caring for people.
He will be missed by many, and we are grateful that during the past months Wise Group trustees and colleagues have been able to visit and connect with him at his home in Dunedin. Most of all, Richie will be missed by his family, and our thoughts and hearts are with his wife Dr Sandhya Ramrakha and daughter Priyanka. Thank you, Richie, for your tireless dedication and incredible contribution to the Wise Group, and the world we live in. You will be missed, and always remembered.

E te rangatira, e te hoa, Richie, e moe, okioki. Kua tutuki te wāhanga ki a koe. Waiho mai ō mahi nui, ō mahi huhua hei ōhākī mōu. Ko koe ia ka whakawhiti atu hei whetū tārake i te rangi tiaho mai ai ki runga ki a mātou kua mahue mokemoke mai nei ki muri. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.

Le Va hosted the Honourable Marama Davidson, Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, last week for a talanoa session about the Atu-Mai initiative and primary prevention, vital work that has a real impact on building safer communities.

Want a better understanding of panic attacks? Our whanau at Just a Thought have written a blog post on this subject. Learn more see below 👇

What is a panic attack, really? Panic attacks can feel scary, but by understanding them, we can begin to overcome the ‘cycle of panic.'

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and Tip Top Ice Cream came to Harakeke House to reward the Le Va team for their amazing mahi they do in the mental health space.