FLO Talanoa Facilitators trained in Dunedin and Auckland

Dunedin has 10 newly trained FLO Talanoa Facilitators, after representatives from Otago University, the Southern District Health Board, Te Hou Whanau Services and Waitaki Community Mental Health attended FLO Talanoa training last month. 

Our new facilitators are based in Dunedin and Oamaru, and their plans to deliver FLO Talanoa suicide prevention community education workshops will cover both areas.

Auckland quickly followed suit with its third group of FLO Talanoa facilitators completing their training last week. All are now gearing up to deliver community workshops. 

Auckland participants, including NRL welfare and development managers, house parents from the Vodafone Warriors, representatives from the NZ Rugby Players Association (NZRPA), and the Ministry of Social Development recognised the slow-building nature of the FLO Talanoa programme. Participants also included community leaders and representatives from local primary schools, churches, Cook Island community groups and the mental health sector.

Facilitators from across the country will now be organising FLO Talanoa community workshops over the next 12 months with the aim of educating our Pasifika families about the risk factors, protective factors and warnings signs of suicide. 

These community workshops will highlight the Top 5 tactics for preventing suicide for Pasifika: Talk, Culture, Connect, Strengthening Families and Spirituality, spurring communities into collective community action.

To date 106 FLO Talanoa facilitators have been trained across New Zealand and 542 people within the community have attended a FLO Talanoa community workshop.

For more information on FLO Talanoa, check out our webpage or sign up to our monthly e-bulletin for the latest news on community workshops.