Shifting from kanohi ki te kanohi
The Shift kaupapa is built on a deep belief that whakawhanaungatanga is key to establishing and maintaining strong connections with kōhine (young women); and while, in recent weeks, the world has changed around us, this intrinsic knowledge continues to be at the forefront of our mahi (work).
So how have we, as an organisation who puts young women at the centre of our work, adapted our approach during the rāhui in Aotearoa New Zealand?
Read on if you are interested in a human-centered approach to change and wellbeing.
Between Monday 23rd and Wednesday 25th March we, as a country, shifted from relative ‘normal’ into full lockdown.
“Our plan is simple. We can stop the spread by staying at home and reducing contact.
Now is the time to act.
That’s why Cabinet met today and agreed that effective immediately, we will move to Alert Level 3 nationwide.
After 48 hours, the time required to ensure essential services are in place, we will move to Level 4.
These decisions will place the most significant restriction on New Zealanders’ movements in modern history. This is not a decision taken lightly. But this is our best chance to slow the virus and to save lives.”
Amongst this chaos the Shift Coordinators and staff (AKA the Shifterhood) connected via Zoom. Not for the purposes of developing an immediate COVID-19 response plan, no! Something much more important — a wellbeing check in. An opportunity for an unhurried conversation about how the team was feeling as we moved into our ‘bubbles’. We spent 1.5 hours in what has become our new safe place, Zoom — a digital platform that allows us to talk, cry, share, listen, laugh and emulate, as best we can, the feelings we get when we connect.
In the midst of the chaos we made time to check in and ensure the key message of ‘wellbeing first’ was heard and activated. My natural tendency is to fly into ‘action mode’, to become the planner, the fixer, but with the knowledge I have learnt from these incredible Shift Coordinators, I leaned into patience and empathy. Listening deeply to the confusion and wonder flowing from the teams minds and hearts.
“Let’s take the week to get comfortable in our new surroundings, take in the magnitude of change and once we feel ready, let’s Shift our thinking towards what’s possible and how we can adapt our always agile approach to serve young women as best we can over the coming weeks” (months).
The following Monday we met again on our new lifeline — Zoom, and since then have proceeded to connect on an almost daily basis using a variety of platforms and tools to activate a co-designed and slightly chaotic response to these unprecedented times.
The Shifterhood has banded together and created a vast array of opportunities to continue to grow and maintain their relationships with young women. How?
Through ‘safe’ physical activity …
Through a focus on wellbeing and self care …
And what have we learnt to date?
1. That young women continue to be the source of our inspiration and a major purpose for our own wellbeing.
2. That working for organisations (massive awhi to our partners) that put staff wellbeing first and foremost allows space for self care and in turn the care of others.
3. That it continues to be ok to try and ‘fail’ — failure is the best opportunity to grow and learn. This is new to everyone! There are no guidelines to follow, so give it a go!
4. Listening to what young women say and watching what they do are great ways to understand and develop responses that meet diverse needs.
5. ‘Safe spaces’ look different to everyone. Providing options to connect is crucial — face to face, voice only, cameras on, cameras off, text, single word responses, no responses required all need to be options to support a diverse array of young women’s needs.
6. That being ‘present’ is of the upmost importance.
“Don’t stop posting and sharing. Young people might not always respond, but knowing you are there and present is really important right now”
— Amy, Shift Upper Hutt (Kickstart Youth).
7. Practice empathy and plan your engagement — consider what it might feel like to join an online discussion with unfamiliar faces and voices. Spend time explaining etiquette and make expectations accessible to everyone (‘you don’t have to answer a question, you can just listen’). Ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate on their terms.
8. Co-designing with young women can be hard at the best of times, often it’s because we only know our own experiences of the world, so making space for others to share their ideas (using a variety of tools) and encouraging youth voice and engagement is critical. It might take some time in a digital environment, but don’t be discouraged, building whanaungatanga takes time and ongoing energy.
9. SHARE – there are incredible people out there doing amazing work. Use your channels to share the vast array of ideas and opportunities happening around the motu (and the globe) – He waka eke noa (We are all in this together).
10. And finally, set boundaries. You alone can not solve all the problems of the world and no one can ‘be on’ 24/7. Take time to refill your cup. Look after your own wellbeing, only when you are well can you support the wellbeing of others.
We’ll continue sharing our learning and experimentation, and would love to hear what others are learning too. If you want to reach out, please do! And as our rockstar PM would say:
“Be kind. I know people will want to act as enforcers. And I understand that, people are afraid and anxious. We will play that role for you. What we need from you, is support one another. Go home tonight and check in on your neighbours. Start a phone tree with your street. Plan how you’ll keep in touch with one another. We will get through this together, but only if we stick together. Be strong and be kind”
