Workshops
Workshops are tailored to suit your organisation. Any topic can be modified to be appropriate for anyone from parents, from teachers, to the most experienced of health professionals. We also create bespoke trainings to suit your unique needs. Simply fill us in on the challenges you are facing and we will do our best to to help. Some of our most popular workshop topics are outlined below.
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POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Positive Youth Development (PYD) is an approach that guides communities in the way they organise programmes, people, and supports, so that young people can develop to their full potential. We look at how it can guide programmes, services, and decisions that ultimately impact our rangatahi. Content is tailored around your organisation, with your team actively considering how it applies to their own professional context.
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATION
This workshop will help you better understand and communicate with youth by equipping you with an understanding of adolescent brain development and how to structure questions so as to facilitate communication and create a sympathetic, respectful environment. Together with the PYD workshop detailed above, this workshop provides a strong foundational knowledge for any adult supporting or working with rangatahi.
ONLINE BULLYING
Online Bullying can have a profound & devastating impact on the victim in the 'real world' leading to anxiety, depression & a feeling of helplessness.
Our researchers have sat down with local rangatahi to talk about the issues kiwi teens are facing right now.
This workshop delves into our findings from a young person's perspective, highlighting safety measures that can be taken, warning signs to look out for, and what to do with the victim, bystanders and the perpetrator.
UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION
Covering topics such as cellphones, vaping, smoking and other addictive substances - learn how the teen brain is wired towards addictive behaviours and what we can do to help them. You'll learn how to recognise the subtle signs that indicate a young person may be engaging in potentially addictive behaviours, learn strategies to effectively address the issue, and come away with practical tools to help you teach them how to foster healthier habits.
TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
Too many of our young people have experienced trauma. From trauma in the home, trauma from accidents, to external traumas like natural disasters, viruses, or shootings - understanding the causes, the signs, and how to care for young people impacted by trauma can help you support them better. Understanding how trauma presents and having tools to use can make teaching, working with, and supporting them much easier.
BUILDING BOUNDARIES
Learning to build healthy boundaries is key to creating positive relationships. Boundaries help us to manage conflicts, reinforce mutual respect, cultivate a sense of security and help to identify unacceptable behaviour.
This workshop will discuss how to create healthy boundaries with rangatahi - and how to support them to create and enforce their own.
MANAGING BIG EMOTIONS
With a focus on the significant mentors in the lives of young people, this workshop aims to provide a basic understanding of the role of ‘big feelings’ in development. Young people can struggle to self-regulate. The aim is to develop an understanding of how to best support rangatahi with difficult emotions. Get information about how to be a regulating force for others before walking specific examples of anxiety, frustration/anger, sadness, etc.
DE-ESCALATION
One of the most difficult parts of working with young people is when they become angry or upset. Many professionals and parents encounter this but don’t know what to do about it. This practical workshop discusses what causes young people to “lose their temper” or become angry or violent, what the stages are that lead up to an angry out-burst, how to ensure your safety, how factors like depression and other mental illness can play a role, and how to de-escalate the situation.
ATTENDANCE AVOIDANCE
School anxiety is creating a huge amount of stress and conflict for rangatahi and their families. Between complex learning needs, neuro-divergence and mental health issues, young people need tools to be equipped to cope when they are struggling within the school environment. We can help set students and their whanau up for success with strategies to support anxious young people atm school - and help schools look at ways to accomodate their needs.
NEURODIVERSITY/ NEURODIVERGENCE
“Neurodiversity” is used to describe differences in the way our brains work. Neuro-divergent young people with developmental differences such as ADHD, Autism, and FASD can have a hard time coping at home, school, or work. With a few accommodations to manage challenges such as sensory overload, there are ways to support them that will help them - and you. This workshop will give you a better understanding of ways to provide better support to these young people.
ANXIETY & DEPRESSION
Anxiety and/or depression affects around 1 in 6 young New Zealanders. This evidence-based, best-practice workshop will give you a solid understanding of mental illness in young people based on the latest scientific evidence. You will learn how to determine the difference between normal human emotions and mental illness, and empower you to help a young person who is struggling, know where to find help, and how to make sure they get it.
SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE'S WELLBEING
Wellbeing is a word that has been interpreted and experienced in many different ways. This workshop will address how wellbeing is researched and theorised in academia, and discuss ways that findings can inform our work with young people. A variety of activities, resources, and strategies will be shared and participation will be encouraged to support resource sharing among participants.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY
'Inclusivity' gets tossed around, but what does it mean and what does it look like in practice? If we consciously and actively include many different types of people (those with varying abilities, beliefs, ethnicities, experiences and preferences) and work on treating each person fairly and equally, we have a clear sense of inclusive direction. This workshop focuses on how we can cultivate inclusivity both personally and professionally through an awareness of our own biases and by addressing these biases.
RAINBOW AWARENESS & GENDER IDENTITY
How gender is expressed and experienced has changed. How we respond to these changes has a direct impact on our ability to support youth. This workshop will help you gain a stronger understanding of gender diversity and what the diverse landscape looks like, explore how young people are identifying and where are we going as a nation in supporting our diverse young people, and identify the barriers and issues many of our diverse young people face and how we can start addressing them.
UNDERSTANDING SELF-HARM & SUICIDE
Self-harm and suicide are major issues amongst young people. Myths about these topics may prevent some people from getting the help they need. This evidence based, best practice workshop will help you understand what self-harm is and why young people do it, teach you how to spot warning signs, discuss suicide prevention with complex mental illness such as PTSD, and give you the confidence to help someone who is self-harming or suicidal.
SOCIAL MEDIA & INTERNET SAFETY
Good, bad, or ugly, young people are spending a huge amount of time online, particularly on social media, and it is impacting them in ways they don't understand. We give you the latest research and help you understand the benefits and risks of the digital world so you can support them as needed.
HANDLING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
The world our young people are growing up in is wildly different from the one we grew up in - and sometimes we are not sure how to handle it. Knowing how to tackle the big conversations without conflict can be tough.
Our Trainers (Clinical Psychologists) and Youth Tutors can help guide you through difficult conversations on sex, drugs and rock & roll ... and everything in between.
SEXUALITY & RELATIONSHIPS
Porn is the most common place that young people 'learn' about sexuality and consent. The way it is often portrayed in porn can create an inaccurate perspective. With sexual abuse so prevalent in NZ, sexting and sharing sexts with others happening from very young, this is a topic that parents need to lead even it if feels uncomfortable. Parents and schools in particular may need training to learn what's happening for young people and how to talk with them about it in an appropriate manner.
MANAGING BURNOUT
How many times have we heard that we have to put our own oxygen mask on first before we can help others? Yet many workplaces have staff on the edge of burnout. Teachers, health professionals, corporates - no industry is exempt. It can come from high workloads, the stress of working with challenging youth, or the feeling of being 'on' 24x7. We work through ways to keep yourself safe from burnout so you can better support your children / the young people you work with.