Welcome to the first day of Spring! 

September is a very eventful month – Father’s Day on the 3rd, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week on the 11-17th, and school holidays nearer the end.

So what better way to have some fun and get creative, activate our inner child and incorporate playfulness from the PACE Model by Dr Dan Huges.

Ideas on how to incorporate playfulness in our daily lives:

• Enter the world from the child. Be with them, show presence and let them guide you in their play.
• Dance and sing, just because.
• Make a game out of getting organised with your child, like who cleans up faster.
• Play all together with your pet, like play frisbee with your dog.
• Draw without any outcome, just to have fun and be silly.
• Try new things – like bake some new cookie recipes with your child.
• Go on a walk, that you haven’t walked before, without any plan. Decide spontaneously where to go next by flipping a coin.
• Count things you see – when you drop the children off to school or drive to work, count how many, for example, blue cars you see.

Playfulness brings us back to the present moment and that can give us a break from the worrying and over-thinking adult brain. So let’s go. There is no right or wrong in being playful, just your creativity and imagination.

Viel Spaß (Enjoy!)

Caroline

I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who graced us with their presence at Matariki Tūhono 2023. It was truly a pleasure to not only see familiar faces but also to meet the tamariki/rangatahi under your care. The turnout was beyond amazing, with over 135 attendees coming together for this special occasion.

A huge shout-out goes to the incredible Canterbury Regional Committee for their invaluable assistance during the event – you all were rock stars! For those who couldn’t make it this year, fret not, because VOYCE and I are already hard at work planning for an even grander gathering in 2024. We’re aiming to make it an event that draws an even larger crowd. Stay tuned!

training and learning opportunity

Online

I am excited to bring to you online the ‘What’s Behind the Behaviour’ trauma-informed training. You will gain greater insight into why our care experienced tamariki and rangatahi might behave the way they do. I’d love to see you there.

• Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th September from 10:30am to 12:00pm

Please REGISTER HERE.

Face to Face

I am also delivering  ‘What’s Behind the Behaviour’ face to face in our region;

• Tuesday, 12 September from 9:30am to 1:30pm in Woodend Community Centre, 6 School Road, Woodend – for more information and to book CLICK HERE.
• Thursday, 14 September from 9:30am to 1:30pm in the Community Trust – Mid South & Canterbury, 27 – 29 Strathallan Street, Timaru, for more information and to book CLICK HERE.

After the training, we will have time to catch up as well.  I am looking forward to seeing you there.

More information about all our training opportunities can be found by clicking the button below.

Events

We want to connect with you. So, we are making plans to come to your area. We will email you and post on Facebook, so look out for more information.

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?

Let us know if you’d like us to host a gathering in your town.

Support

We have a closed Facebook group for our wonderful Canterbury Caregiver Members to keep updated and connect with each other virtually, you can find it below.

We also have some great community connections Face to Face, please find below our groups contact details.

North Canterbury Support Group

• Group contact: Deb
• Next Meeting: 21st September at 11.00am at 3 Ferguson Ave, Waipara
• RSVP to Deb: debbiecurtis1965@gmail.com

Canterbury Men’s Group

• Group contact: Greg
• Next Meeting: 18th of October at 6.30pm at The Brew Moon Brewery Company, 12 Markham Street, Amberley. Come down for a pizza or burger!
• RSVP to Greg: gregcurtis66@gmail.com

We are always interested in assisting Caregivers to connect and share together.  If you feel you would like to start a support group in your area, please contact us to help you get a group up and running. Jared is currently looking for someone that can start a support group in East Christchurch, so if you’re interested email him at supportsouth@caringfamilies.org.nz

Tiaki i a koutou anō, look after yourselves!  

Caroline & Jared