2nd of November, 2022
‘Why do I do the work that I do? Because I want to leave the world a better place for our young people.’
These words come from Dylan, Aviva’s dedicated youth worker, a service which is supported by the Launch Foundation.
Dylan has been working with young people for many years now. At Aviva, his work focuses on rangatahi overcoming their experiences of violence, or who are at risk of using violence.
‘Each young person is unique in their experiences, and in themselves. Before you can help, you need to get to know them. I find out what makes them tick. One girl I’m working with wants to be a dog trainer, so we’ve been working towards that goal. For another young person it might be something different. I don’t know how to play basketball, or a guitar, but I can provide practical support so they can do those things. It’s about building a good relationship – that has to come first.’
The work of all our family violence support includes teaching people (of any age) what safe, healthy relationships look and feel like, and helping them to realise that a life without violence is possible, and what they deserve. Giving people that blueprint when they’re young can be life changing, even life-saving. Aotearoa has the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the OECD, and among young people the rates are particularly high. But as far as Dylan’s concerned, there’s reasons to be hopeful.
‘Stats only measure what’s happened,’ he says. ‘They don’t define what happens next. It’s the growth and potential for change in young people that inspires me.’
The work that all our support workers do is transformational. But everything has its limitations – the biggest one being, that to get help, first you have to be referred, or pick up the phone. And that’s never easy.
‘I wanted to find a way to help those young people who wouldn’t engage in a service,’ says Dylan. ‘One day, I was chatting to Makenzi [another Family Violence Support Worker] and I said to her, “what would you do?” She said, “well I would start a podcast.” And so, we did.’
Where You At is a podcast created by Dylan and Makenzi, in collaboration with Plains FM. Aimed at rangatahi in New Zealand it offers information to young people on topics such as: boundaries; online safety; sex and consent; power and control, and more. Ultimately, it’s a kōrero about what healthy relationships look like, and what they don’t look like, and it provides tools to help young people create them.
‘A lot of young people can be having really damaging experiences but not realising that it’s unhealthy,’ says Dylan, ‘they could think what’s happening is normal.’
For some young people, hearing the podcast could be enough to get them thinking more deeply about the relationships in their life, or thinking critically about the things they see in the media or accept as normal. But for others, it might be the catalyst they need to reach out for help; either because they realise they’re experiencing harmful behaviours, or because they are noticing patterns in themselves that they would like to change.
‘What I would say to a young person who’s worried about their relationships is this: if you’re scared, or perhaps you’re noticing that you need to be in control to feel safe – reach out for help. It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s an amazing sign of strength,’ says Dylan.
‘If even one young person hears the podcast, and it gives them the ability to change something, or ask for some support, then that’s a win.’
You can stream Where You At? on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean and on all major listening platforms.