September 2023 Caregiver News: Auckland Region

Kia ora e hoa mā, hello friends,

Welcome to the first day of Spring! I am already feeling much more inspired to get out in the fresh air and sunshine after what has felt like a very rainy, soggy year for us in Auckland. September is a very eventful month – Father’s Day on the 3rd, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week is the 11-17th, and school holidays nearer the end.

I had the pleasure of hosting our Making Changes workshop online a couple of weeks ago and was reminded of the importance of creating space for ourselves in the busyness, (or having moments of feeling overwhelmed), to take a moment to pause, breathe and ‘notice’.

The below 5-4-3-2-1 exercise is a great way of doing this and can be done with the tamariki. You can view a video showing it here: The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: A Grounding Exercise to Manage Anxiety – YouTube

TRAINING

I will be joining our Training Manager, Sally Moffatt, online on Monday 18 September for our next Ako Ngātahi Q & A session from 11.00am-12.00pm. We’ll be chatting about Behavioural Support. CLICK HERE to sign up for this session, or click the button below to learn more about other available workshops.

SUPPORT

Support groups coming up this month…

ROYAL OAK COFFEE GROUP

• Thursday 14th September, 10:00AM – 12:00PM at Royal Oak McDonald’s. RSVP HERE.

POLYNESIAN CAREGIVERS GROUP

• Thursday 21st September, 10:00AM – 12:00PM at Clover Park Community House, 16A Israel Avenue. RSVP HERE.

ONLINE COFFEE SUPPORT GROUP FOR SOLE CAREGIVERS

• Tuesday 26th September, 7:30PM – 9:00PM, Online via Microsoft Teams. EMAIL ME for the meeting link.

If you are located on the North Shore or near Westgate/Massey area and would like to meet other caregivers near you, please get in touch on 027 538 9691 or auckland@caringfamilies.org.nz. I’d love to get a regular catch up happening in these areas for those keen to join.

We also have a closed Facebook group for our wonderful Auckland Caregiver Members to keep updated and connect with each other virtually, you can join it by clicking the button below.

EVENTS

SCHOOL HOLIDAY MOVIE

To celebrate the start of school holidays I will be collaborating with VOYCE Whakarongo Mai to bring you and your tamariki a screening of the movie Elemental (PG). Movie tickets and snacks will be provided, along with goodie bags for caregivers and drawing kits for tamariki.

Date and Time: Monday 25th September 2023, 4:00PM – 6:00PM

Venue: St Lukes Event Cinema, Level 2, Westfield St Lukes, 80 St Lukes Road

Please CLICK HERE to RSVP to me and include your name, phone number, and the number of tickets you require for you and your tamariki. Spaces are limited so don’t delay!

I want to come and connect with you, so, I’ll be planning and aiming to come to your local cafe – let me know if you’d like me to host a gathering in your suburb.

Do you have any other ideas on how to bring caregiver members together?

What would you like to see in your area? What would you support? Feel free to EMAIL ME and share your ideas and thoughts.

Tiaki i a koutou anō, look after yourselves!  

Christie