Our framework is premised on the need to penetrate, engage and mobilise marginalised communities.
We believe that no one is hard to reach if we really want to reach them. It simply depends on whether we intend to reach them or not, and how prepared we are to do things differently.
We draw on the principles of community mobilisation, initially used in the delivery of public health initiatives, which are designed to help communities build services and initiatives for themselves.
We recognise that every community is unique and we work with local leaders to develop solutions that address the issues that are important to them while drawing on their strengths, and developing the capacity and capability to lead change for themselves.
We believe that no one is hard to reach if we really want to reach them. It simply depends on whether we intend to reach them or not, and how prepared we are to do things differently.
We draw on the principles of community mobilisation, initially used in the delivery of public health initiatives, which are designed to help communities build services and initiatives for themselves.
We recognise that every community is unique and we work with local leaders to develop solutions that address the issues that are important to them while drawing on their strengths, and developing the capacity and capability to lead change for themselves.
Our framework for engaging hard to reach communities
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- Focus on the behaviours rather than on appearance or affiliation: the delivery of interventions and services should be focussed on changing behaviours rather than focussing on what the recipient looks like or who they are affiliated to.
- Remove the labels: There is a propensity to label hard to reach communities by their sub-cultures, like gangs, youth gangs, druggies, crims, etc. Labelling theorists argue that labelling can create a self-fulfilling prophecy situation where the persons behaviours becomes influenced by the labels.
- Recognise that there is good in all hard to reach whānau and communities: Regardless of how alienated or dysfunctional a whānau or community may be, there will always be some good within it – identify and focus on the good and build on the strength of that whānau or community.
- Recognise leadership and diversity: Hard to reach whānau and communities are not a homogenous group and they all have their own leaders that agencies need to accept and work with.
- Engage hard to reach whānau and communities: Recognise that hard to reach whānau and communities are not passive recipients but aspirational and capable of designing, developing and delivering their own interventions and services that will factor in their whānau and community realities. People who have common experiences with hard to reach populations are the most appropriate people to design and deliver intervention projects because they can share their experiences of what has led them to make positive life choices [1].
- Build capability and capacity: Recognise hard to reach whānau and community leaders are often people with instinctive leadership qualities but they may need support to develop to their skill of leadership.
- Mobilise whānau and community - changing negative sub culture behaviours effectively requires the h2r whānau and communities acceptance for the need to change.
- Support and resource hard to reach whānau and community initiatives –engage, support and resource h2r whānau and community to designed, developed and deliver their own services.
[1] Spee.K. (2008) Investments in Effective Interventions Programme of Action for Māori initiatives Evaluation of the ‘Hard to Reach Youth’ project: Evaluation Report Te Puni Kōkiri. Unpublished.
What do community-led solutions look like?
Utilising our approach of penetration, engagement and mobilisation, we have held dozens of local hui as well as five national hui with hard to reach community leaders and whānau. The aim of this work is to support hard to reach community leaders to design, develop and deliver community-led solutions that work for them.
We also work towards strengthening:
Utilising our approach of penetration, engagement and mobilisation, we have held dozens of local hui as well as five national hui with hard to reach community leaders and whānau. The aim of this work is to support hard to reach community leaders to design, develop and deliver community-led solutions that work for them.
We also work towards strengthening:
- Health and wellbeing, including building health literacy, health checks, Primary Health Organisation registrations, Maori healing, Alcohol and other Drug services
- Education, training and employment options, including building a culture of education in the home and driver license training
- Parenting education and support, including wānanga and training as Mellow Parenting facilitators
- Cultural identity, including te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, kapa haka
- Community resources and connections, including mara kai, reconnection between kaumatua and hard to reach communities
Our approach and key definitions
We are now entering the fourth generation of gang whānau. Youth gangs are mostly comprised of the children of gang members, and they're on the same pathway to poor outcomes in health, education, employment, criminal offending and wellbeing.
The current approach of suppression to reduce gang membership and gang violence is not working, and there is a lack of targeted policies to provide social or economic support for gangs.
A lack of support often stems from a lack of understanding.
Click on any of the links below to learn more about our approach to working with hard to reach communities. Find out who it's for and why it's important.
The current approach of suppression to reduce gang membership and gang violence is not working, and there is a lack of targeted policies to provide social or economic support for gangs.
A lack of support often stems from a lack of understanding.
Click on any of the links below to learn more about our approach to working with hard to reach communities. Find out who it's for and why it's important.
