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Community Wellbeing Connector Update by Lara Sweetman

About the Project

August 25, 2023

Community Well-being Connector Newsletter Items

The Matariki Hapori Hauora Day, held at Papahua on Saturday 22nd July, was a follow on from the success of monthly Marae clinics that have been taking place within our community. These aim to remove the access barriers to health services by bringing them to the people. Bowel screening, breast screening, cervical screening, diabetes checks and information, dental services, St Johns 3 Steps for life AED and CPR training, Post-vention suicide support, newborn checks and immunisations, as well as mirimiri and rongoa Maori practitioners were all available on the day. Also on offer was a creative space with art activities encouraging participants to get creative while celebrating matariki, and a tasty free hangi was enjoyed by everyone in the sun right on full tide. The day concluded with the draw of a grocery hamper. Luckily the weather turned on a stunning day for the event which helped to create a relaxed and enjoyable day.

Support for the Rainbow Group in Raglan has become a recent focus with the intention of increasing their sense of kotahitanga within our community (inclusion of diversity and difference.
They have recently completed a project of creating baked clay rainbows which have been distributed around the shops in town as symbols to the rainbow community that these are inclusive and welcome spaces for them. They were also recently hosted by the Stoned Cow Cafe, who put on a Rainbow Painting evening for the group. It was a fun creative and team building evening.

Suicide Post-vention and Prevention support and initiatives have been a major focus lately for our community. A calendar of events is being planned starting with the visit of Scotty, a mobile social worker who travels to rural locations delivering his UOKBRO kaupapa and sharing his mental health journey with others. Time bank members and Raglan Naturally hosted the event at the town hall on the 19th of August. Check out his face book page to follow his story. On Monday the 28th of August Whaingaroa rangatahi will be holding a special mental health
assembly for the senior students up at Raglan Area School. Also, a Life Keepers workshop will be taking place on Tuesday the 29th of August which is mental health training around the suicide kaupapa for community members working in the space of supporting others. More support and events are also in the planning stages for the month of November for the community.

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