WelCom October 2024
Challenge 2000 began 36 years ago in October 1988 as a dedicated gospel-centred, social agency to respond to needs in Wellington, particularly those adversely affecting children, young people and their families. Almost four decades later, Challenge remains convinced that love works, the gospel works and being a community whānau works. So today, the Challenge team continues to develop and offer a diverse range of holistic, professional programmes and services based on those beliefs. Photos: Supplied
Kitty McKinley, Challenge Founder and Acting CEO
Challenge 2000 began here in the Johnsonville Catholic parish in 1988 in response to the needs of young people and families and as a way of empowering those who wanted to actively live the gospel to make a difference.
The Challenge foundations are from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew.
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and has chosen me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.’ – Luke 4: 18-19
‘I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, a stranger and you welcomed me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ – Matthew 25: 35-39
Challenge’s mission is to respond to the gospel by working with people in the search for personal dignity, social justice and social responsibility. Ours goals are to:
- develop and deliver quality youth services that meet the diverse needs of young people
- develop and deliver services that provide opportunities for disadvantaged and struggling families, individuals and communities
- develop and deliver programmes that challenge the advantaged and privileged to adopt values and principles consistent with social justice and social responsibility.
So, for 36 years we’ve been trying to live our mission and do whatever we can to give the gospel and our Catholic social traditions life in our times. It has been an exhilarating, rewarding, life-giving, transformative and at times challenging time for all involved. If you’d like to volunteer in any capacity – from Board member, food donor, tutor, driving instructor to event fundraiser – then just call us on (04) 477-6827 – we’d love to hear from you, or visit our website at challenge2000.org.nz for more information.
We are advertising for a new CEO, a Youth Worker and Interns for 2025, so please have a think and maybe accept the ‘challenge’ to join our team of 40 and live these gospels along with us.
Foodbank and community garden
Gabe Lawson
Amidst the new challenges and the unprecedented social impact of Covid-19, Challenge 2000 began operating a Foodbank to support those experiencing problems accessing food and essential supplies. Sr Marie Roche led our initiative with aroha, commitment and compassion, and we continue our Foodbank with these values.
Now, the ongoing impact of underemployment, low wages, higher rents, redundancies, unemployment and poverty has resulted in us continuing with our Foodbank as we experience increasing demand from diverse sectors of our community. As a result, Challenge 2000, St Francis of Assisi Ohariu Parish, and the local Society of St Vincent de Paul are working together to provide food, funding, and volunteers to help support those in need.
An additional venture is the establishment of a vegetable garden, organised by parishioners, volunteers and Challenge 2000 staff. Students from St Brigid’s School are learning about planting and are caring for a patch in the vegetable garden.
A big thanks to Tai Avei, our interns, members of our Year 12 and Year 13 Outreach group and parish volunteers who have been helping with our project to ensure we can keep feeding our people in these difficult times.
Internship Year 2024 reflections: young people making a difference
Petonio Foaese – after leaving St Pat’s Wellington in 2023, I was pretty sure about a career path in construction work. Then I applied for the Challenge Marist internship programme and my pathway has taken other directions. This year I’ve been given plenty of opportunities. I went on the 21-day course at Outward Bound, obtained my full driver’s licence, worked on the Challenge Mission team doing all sorts of maintenance work and driving different vehicles and machinery, mentored young men in trouble, helped facilitate school programmes and lived in a Challenge Marist youth house.
Outward Bound, the Challenge training and retreats all taught me how to take care of my physical, mental and spiritual health. I’ve gained knowledge about myself, how I work with others and how systems work. I’ve met so many different people in different places. These experiences have opened my perspective to different careers like New Zealand Police or working at FIFO in Perth (‘fly in fly out’) to save and get more life experience.
This internship programme gave me an amazing opportunity to be part of Wero Rua Mano – Challenge 2000. I know I will forever be a part of the Challenge whānau and am grateful for the worlds I’ve been introduced to. I’m also grateful that the Marists fund and support this project so even after I left St Pat’s I could still learn and grow. Sectare Fidem.
Kate Nahu – when I joined the Challenge 2000 Marist internship programme at the beginning of this year, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I heard Kitty speak about the internship at the end of Mass one Sunday. She described it as an opportunity to give back to the community, to grow yourself and your skills and get paid at the same time. It seemed right and I knew it was something I needed to try. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities it has provided. For me, the look into the hard mahi social and youth workers do in our communities has been especially insightful. At the start of this year I barely knew what a social worker was, but through Challenge I’ve been given the opportunity to work alongside them with several young people. This knowledge and experience will serve me well as I continue my nursing studies. I’ve now been exposed to the undeniable link between social welfare, opportunity, wellbeing and physical health.
The internship isn’t easy. You have to put a lot of yourself into the work, which can be tough, especially when trying to form healthy work-life boundaries. I often don’t know what to expect when I turn up to Challenge in the morning. However, now I know whatever I do – babysitting, running liturgies, painting banners, mentoring or tutoring young people, serving at functions, leading retreats, just being there – is making a positive difference to others and our communities. At times Challenge has been challenging, but the internship is an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life.
Challenge 2000, in partnership with the Society of Mary, has offered their full-time Gap-Year internship programme based in Wellington since 2007. Go to challenge2000.org.nz/youth/gap-year for more information and how to apply for the 2025 programme.
Youth Ministry Team leads Social Justice Week
During Social Justice Week 2024, Challenge’s Youth Ministry Team explored Caritas’ theme: ‘Imagine Peace For All | Pohewatia te Rangimārie mō te Katoa’.
We discussed and led initiatives about how we ‘see’ and ‘judge’ the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Palestine against the gospel of Jesus and Catholic Social Teaching, and how we can ‘act’ for peace.
At 7 and 8 September weekend Masses, through music, hymns, a children’s drama for rangatahi and young adults, prayers and artwork, we encouraged everyone to be builders of peace, justice, hope and forgiveness in communities. We invited parishioners to take home a painted ‘peace’ stone as a commitment to pray and peace. All 200 stones went as well as ‘peacemaker’ and ‘peacebuilder cards’ we had made. We also ran school Liturgies for St Brigids’ and St Benedict’s.
Community feedback was positive. It was a time for us to learn more about what is happening in the world to our brothers and sisters.
– D’Angelo Baice and Semanaia Agafili, Challenge Youth Ministry Team.
