Project RAP Case Study

Friendship House - 274 Youth Core Partnership

Prepared For: Karen Below-Patara National Project Manager RAP
Prepared by: Ala’imalo Lua Maynard

Summary

This case study outlines the process used by Health Promoter Ala’imalo Lua
Maynard, known as Lua, to work with 274 Youth Core in Otara toward making their
environment violence free.

Background

In mid 2006, the National Network of Stopping Violence Services (NNSVS)
contracted with the Ministry of Health to deliver the “Promoting Youth Non Violence Project.”
As an NNSVS member agency, Friendship House, in Manukau City, engaged in a Memorandum
of Understanding with NNSVS to participate in the project.

Friendship House is a well established community agency with over 30 years experience in
providing a variety of social services to the community. 274 Youth Core is a relatively new
project of Crosspower Ministries Trust, a long established agency serving the Otara community.
Lua was hired as a Health Promoter for the Promoting Youth Non Violence Project. Lua has a
background that includes youth work, domestic violence prevention work, and health
promotion. Lua has also worked in radio and was known to many of 274 Youth Core’s clients
through his DJ roles and his Midnight til Dawn radio programme.

274 Youth Core employs six youth workers who work with a combined client group of around
300 youth between the ages of 8 to 18. The youth workers run open programmes in local
parks, afternoon and evening “club” activities, field trips, weekend retreats and sport related
activities. In addition, the youth workers deliver sessions of Flip-da-Script in two Otara
colleges. Flip-da-Script is a programme designed to build confidence and self esteem in
students who are referred by teachers.

It is notable that the both the focus and the name of the Promoting Youth Non Violence Project
changed during the time that this relationship was in place. In July 2008, the Promoting Youth
Non Violence Project became RAP (Respect All People/Whakamana Tangata). The goal of
making environments for youth violence free had a defined tool to use as a guide to help
reduce and replace violence.

Process

The following steps were taken:

• Negotiation between Lua and 274 regarding possibilities and practicalities
• An agreement about the outcomes being sought
• An agreement about what Lua would do and what 274 would do
• A process was identified as to how progress would be monitored and how issues would
• be addressed if conflicts developed
• A plan was identified to move 274 Youth Core towards a violence free environment

Details

Because of some past experiences with others, 274 had a need to engage in this relationship
slowly.

In mid 2006, the debate around Section 59 involving smacking was a major point of discussion
in the community. The 274 team was unanimous in the belief that smacking by parents was not
a problem. Lua believed, and the project took the stand, that it was never acceptable. It was
clear that before anything else could happen, the youth workers and Lua needed to do some
work around defining violence.

It was initially agreed that Lua would work with 274 Youth Core to review their policies and to
help them clarify their definition of violence. The latter was done by training sessions and
discussions, formal and informal, with the 274 staff. Individual youth worker’s beliefs and
understandings were explored, often using brain storming and continuums, in formally
scheduled one hour team meetings with the agency’s youth workers. These meetings were
held at least fortnightly.

The youth workers decided that they would like hour long team meetings with the opportunity
to have regular, project focused individual meetings with Lua. During the individual meetings,
Lua was able to address each worker in their own style and help them identify potential issues
in their projects which might involve, support or promote violence. This combination of meeting
types proved to be quite effective for the agency and provided targeted support for the youth
workers and their projects.

Over the next couple of years, the youth workers developed working definitions of violence and
came to understand the impacts of violence on youth. It is notable that they became quite
skilled at scanning their environments; they identified that the lyrics, and much of the music
being played at youth activities, had violent content. Identifying this led to a recognition of
some of the impacts the lyrics in music have on youth; brain storming for solutions resulted in a
list that included both don’t play violent music and play music that isn’t violent. Finding popular
contemporary music without violent references can be challenging. This planted a seed with
Lua that led him to produce You Will Know which was recorded by an assembled group of
popular contemporary musicians, under the name Brothers Against Violence.

Alongside the direct work with the youth workers, Lua reviewed the content of Flip-da-Script, a
programme created by 274 Youth Core and used in two Otara Colleges (Hillary Collegiate and
Tangaroa College.) This programme is delivered by youth workers to students who are
identified by the colleges as needing extra support. Lua reviewed and expanded the anger
management component and suggested the name, Respect All People, for the component.
In July 2008, at the Involve Conference in Wellington, Lua and two other health promoters
involved in the Promoting Youth Non Violence Project launched RAP, the rebranded Youth Non
Violence Programme and introduced “The Five Factors.” RAP’s 5 Factors to reduce and replace
violence became the primary tool used with youth workers at 274 Youth Core to assess their
projects and to identify replacement action(s) and/or strategies when needed.

In Conclusion

The steps used to help 274 Youth Core reduce and replace violence in their environment can be taken by any organization using the following method:

1. Negotiate with the organization for agreement about the outcomes being sought
2. Clarify who will do what
3. Identify gaps
   a) Does the organization understand the many facets of violence?
   b) Does the organization have language to discuss violence and its impact?
4. Work with the organization to grow their understandings to a point where they can agree on what violence is and identify alternative desired respectful behaviours
5. Work with the organization to define some clear goals around behaviours/beliefs they want to change and what behaviors they want to promote
6. Help them scan their environment(s) and define how they can create safety in their space and how adults will manage space and activities to create an attractive inviting environment
7. Help them define clear boundaries and consequences for violent behaviors and at their activities
8. Be sure the adults in their environment(s) are able to be healthy and respectful in their interactions with the youth and each other. Most especially, be sure that adults know how to resolve conflict respectfully.