About Us
Sowers is a charitable trust that was established in 1988 by Howick Community Church. While our catchment is still primarily in East Auckland, we have now increased it to also include referrals to families within the community of the Howick Ward (East Auckland right through to Flatbush) as well as Beachlands and Maraetai, as these areas have been identified as areas currently lacking in agency support and we are keen to meet this need where we can. We operate under the following values: Honesty, Faith, Trust, Respect, Kindness and Compassion.
Our staff have various qualifications in youth development, counselling, social work and occupational therapy and we also have a number of volunteers that help out in various ways, all of which are Police checked.
We believe that everyone has the right to have their basic needs met, to be safe and to have access to and obtain an education. We believe that everyone has value and deserves the same opportunities in life. We also believe that sometimes a person’s environment or circumstances can get in the way of them dreaming and believing in a future full of hope.
How you help children
Our programmes are varied and include life skills, self-esteem, tools and strategies to allow understanding of emotions, so that children are able to discover their potential and begin to develop a sense of identity and self-worth.
Our programmes are designed to be experienced either through a one on one mentoring approach or in a group setting and we tailor what this support looks like to meet each person or family’s needs. This will enable them to step out towards a future that is full of promise, where they can make a positive contribution to their community.
These programmes include mentoring, counselling, discovery camps, anger management, seven habits, self-esteem, anti-bullying, friendship, triple p parenting. The aim of Triple P is to increase parental competence, resourcefulness, and self-sufficiency of parenting in raising their children. We run discussion groups for parents of children up to 10 years of age covering topics such as dealing with disobedience, managing fighting and aggression, developing good bedtime routines, and hassle-free shopping with children. Our parenting programmes involve active skills training and encourage parents to set their own goals for positive change.
We want to build
Healthy children who:
- Attend school
- Make friends, maintain positive relationships and move towards social connectedness
- Are resilient and better able to manage grief, loss and change
- Successfully transition from primary to intermediate school and then to college
- Have an improved understanding and regulation of emotions (connecting feelings to actions)
Parents/families who are:
- Well connected in their communities
- Participating in school activities
- Developing positive parenting strategies and skills
- Able to gain mastery over their individual circumstances
Physical environment
We are flexible in where we meet with both young people and with adults (school, our offices, home or another agreed location in the community e.g. library). There is lots of parking available at our offices and we have disability access.
Atmosphere
Building relationship underpins everything we do here at Sowers, and this applies to both young people and adults. We create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere to develop trust but at the same time our approach is structured and based on sound principles of practice. Everything that is discussed is confidential unless there are concerns for safety.
Collaboration
We understand the value of working in partnership with others and believe that this is extremely important. We are working on growing these further but at the moment they include:
- FVIARS (Family Violence Interagency Response Network)
- YCAP (Youth Crime Action Plan)
- We connect in with many schools in the local area
- We have key working relationships with both the Police and CYFS Otara office
- Whirinaki
- Te Rawhiti
- CADS and CADS Altered High
- Refuge
- Pakuranga Counselling Centre
- WINZ
If you would like to know more about how Sowers can support you, please call now on (09 538 0050) or have a look at our website at http://www.sowers.co.nz for more information.
Services
- Youth Mentoring
- Youth Development
- Emotions Management (Anger)
- Anxiety and depression
- Life Skills
- Confidence and Self Esteem
- Discovery Camp
- Anti-bullying Programme
- Counselling
- Family Support
- Parenting Support
- Triple P Parenting: Groups and One on One Support
- Teenage Parents
- Advocacy and Information Giving
- Close support for those living in or recovering from Domestic Violence
- Two-coats Clothing Co-op (Clothing Exchange)
- He Brews Drop In Café
Services
- Youth Mentoring
- Youth Development
- Emotions Management (Anger)
- Anxiety and depression
- Life Skills
- Confidence and Self Esteem
- Discovery Camp
- Anti-bullying Programme
- Counselling
- Family Support
- Parenting Support
- Triple P Parenting: Groups and One on One Support
- Teenage Parents
- Advocacy and Information Giving
- Close support for those living in or recovering from Domestic Violence
- Two-coats Clothing Co-op (Clothing Exchange)
- He Brews Drop In Café
“It was very fun meeting you, you helped me thru a lot I felt very safe and I could talk to you about anything, I’m a better person because of you today, and I thank you very much for that xx”
“At first I was extremely nervous about meeting you, but after the first few sessions I found it to be really helpful and I felt comfortable telling you about things”.
“My experience with [name of worker] was amazing, she was wonderful to talk to and was always there to listen”.
From young people
“I found the support from Verona and Sowers trust amazing, I was going thru a difficult time financially and emotionally and with the support from Verona, she helped me cope thru that difficult time with food parcels and ear to listen, on-going visits and information on courses for more strategies to help me cope better but more importantly I know she cared, I thank Verona and Sowers trust for everything she has done for me and the children”.
From Parent
Jenny, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your team for the excellent work you do for our young people and their families. Having Sowers Trust to refer our cases to is an invaluable resource for us and we’re grateful knowing we leave our young people and their families in good hands. Although we don’t always get the results we hoped for, sometimes the results you and your team achieve are outstanding and more than we could have hoped for. One case that springs to mind is the young person who had moved to Auckland with their mother and step-father and who refused to go to school, staying at home all day in his room doing nothing. One of your team took this case on and not only does the young person now go to school every day, the relationships within the family have improved immensely. The positive influence you and your team have within our community and assisting Police Youth Aid highlights the true meaning of the Police motto of “Safer Communities Together”.
From Police
