Ōtara Health’s CEO has urged authorities to “stop being reactive” when it comes to keeping South Auckland’s youth out of gangs, as a lack of funding threatens to end the employment of two social workers.
Since March, Ōtara Health boss Sosefina Paletaoga has employed two youth workers who have succeeded in keeping teenagers away from gang life.
But with the Ministry of Social Development only providing six months of funding for the duo, long-term change isn’t possible, Paletaoga told Breakfast.
The two men had managed to pull together a 70-person leadership group comprising students from three schools, secure the involvement of sports clubs including the Otara Scorpions rugby league club and organise school holiday programmes, Paletaoga said.
All that would fall by the wayside if the funding for the social workers wasn’t extended, with Paletaoga critical of funding not being extended.
“These youth workers aren’t just glorified babysitters, they make a difference,” she said.
“What we want is a level playing field.
“We have to stop being reactive, when things happen in our community we react, I think it’s time to be proactive and stop being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.”
Former local youth worker Jelena Ahokava appeared alongside Paletaoga on Breakfast and said youth workers often provided teenagers at risk of joining gangs with belonging.
“With our youth, what they’re searching for the majority of the time is belonging, they feel disconnected from their families, their community,” she said.
Ahokava says once that need for belonging has been filled by a gang or any other negative influence, it was difficult to take teens away.
“Once they find something to fill that need whether it be positive or negative it is hard to pull them away,” she said.
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