Matutaki

A long-term recruitment strategy that engages with Pacific communities and secondary school students to promote mental health as a career option.

Matutaki is a Niuean word that means “to join, make contact” or “to engage with people”.

Developing a national campaign

Growing and training the workforce of today for the challenges that we face tomorrow is a key focus for Le Va. Statistics from Te Rau Hinengaro identified the need to increase the number of Pacific people working in both mental health and addictions. Engaging the latest generation of Pacific young people will ensure an enduring, sustainable Pacific workforce for the future.

We also know that GenY, regardless of ethnicity, are the hardest population to engage. We want to 'keep it real', and this project is driven by young people. Our youth advisor,  Hone Fowler, and his networks have done a great job at keeping us informed about what's cool and what's not.

The research

We did a large amount of scoping and research including focus groups with Pacific youth and analysing information from studies such as the New Zealand Information Technology Survey. Our research found that we need to engage with young people via the technologies they communicate with, namely mobile phones and social networking sites on the worldwide web. Statistics tell us that 15 to 24-year-old new Zealanders are among the best connected in the world, with 95% using mobile phones. In regards to social networking sites, New Zealanders are the second highest users of Bebo in the world. In New Zealand Bebo is also considered younger and ‘browner'.

'Tha Hook'

www.bebo.com/thahook

Social networking site Bebo has become the home for Le Va's recruitment message. The resulting campaign uses multi-media to distribute inspiring key messages about a career pathway in mental health. We're sending out small videos of Pacific celebrities to young peoples' mobile phones, and hooking them into our Bebo webpage for more information.

That's why we've called it ‘Tha Hook'.

With the support of well known Pacific and New Zealand celebrities such as DJ Forbes (NZ Rugby 7s Captain), Oscar Kightley (Bro Town and Sione's Wedding) and members of the Dawn Raid Entertainment hip hop family, Mareko and Devolo, membership on our bebo site is gradually building.

To reach young people nationally, we've also partnered with Incubator, an organisation contracted by District Health Boards throughout New Zealand to work with schools, getting out there and talking to youth about what it's like working in the health service, and providing personal mentoring.

Through their work, Incubator will inform our young people to text ‘hook' to 310 or access our bebo site www.bebo.com/thahook .

Once we have contact with the young person, we start a conversation that could lead to our website, our mentoring programme, or our annual Le Va Mental Health and Addictions Scholarships. Once they are on our Bebo page, we will keep them engaged through a number of regular activities that encourage interaction, such as monthly polls with cool prizes. Many thanks to Huffer clothing for sponsoring all our prizes.

An off-shoot of this interaction is that we can continue to have our finger on the pulse of Pacific youth by asking them what they think about the subjects that will ultimately shape our future workforce, such as ‘what should a Pacific youth mental health service look like?".

For more information, contact Hone Fowler.

Infusing Pasifika into Like Minds, Like Mine

Like Minds, Like Mine has thrown their weight behind Tagata Pasifika to develop a two-part series focused on the lives of six individuals with experience of mental illness. The programmes, which have been in development for the past six months, are part of a special programme funded by Like Minds, Like Mine designed to get a stronger Pacific image into the campaign.

The programmes will air on Sunday 15 and 22 March. Le Va and Te Pou have a particular interest in the programmes as they feature a few people near and dear to us.

Two of the people featured are award-winning poet, academic and researcher Karlo Mila-Schaaf, a member of Le Leo o Le Va, who has also been responsible for developing the concept of "negotiated space" with Maui Hudson; and our own Vito Nonumalo. Vito is no stranger to the sector with years of broadcasting and media experience, not to mention his former planning and funding roles at Capital and Coast DHB.

All six people who are profiled, along with their friends and family, have shown huge courage in putting themselves out there and we applaud them all. Make sure you don't miss what is sure to be a couple of great shows.

For more information, please contact Vito Nonumalo.

Page last updated: 4 March 2009