Writers in Youth Justice
We take creative writing to youth justice residences to encourage participation and produce books by rangatahi that reflect their lived experience.
Overview
Youth Justice facilities are home to some of the most vulnerable young people in Aotearoa.
Our work with youth justice residences began back in 2017 when we delivered a creative writing workshop to the young people at Te Maioha o Parekarangi (Rotorua) with Tommy Kapai.
When I go home was published in 2018 and was gifted to the young people.
In 2019 we had the opportunity to further our work in youth justice residences through funding from Creative New Zealand’s Toi Rangatahi Engagement Fund.
Two beautiful pieces of finished work were published as part of this project. The first was a boxed set of posters which was developed from the work by eight rangatahi who were based at Korowai Manaaki (Manukau) in October 2019. Their mentor was teacher and children’s non-fiction author David Riley.
The second piece of work is the project outlined below: How did I get here?
In both cases the works contain precious glimpses of voices which have never been published before.
In March 2021 Ben Brown visited with the YPs of Te Au Rere a te Tonga, an Oranga Tamariki youth justice residence on the outskirts of Palmerston North. The resulting work Pushdogs was published for the YPs and their families.
Read NZ Te Pou Muramura is grateful for the continued support of Creative New Zealand, Oranga Tamariki and Arts Access Aotearoa for these projects.
How did I get here?
The most recent phase of our Writers in Youth Justice programme began in the summer of 2020 with a box of biros, a pack of printer paper and a question to 28 YPs - young people - living Te Puna Wai o Tūhinapō, the Oranga Tamariki youth justice residence next door to Rolleston Prison, south-west of Christchurch.
Ben Brown, Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador and writer, asked them, ‘How did you get here?’
Over four days of kōrero and collaboration, tautoko and awhi, young men from Te Puna Wai o Tūhinapō wrote their answers as poems, which have been collected in this book, with illustrations by two of the participants.
The book was published by The Cuba Press and Ben Brown’s 2020 Pānui, If nobody listens then no-one will know, described the project.
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Writers in Schools
We bring writers and illustrators to your students and staff, either in person or virtually.Learn more about Writers in Schools01 -
Writers in Communities
We enable communities whose voices would otherwise be marginalised to tell their stories.Learn more about Writers in Communities02 -
Writers in Youth Justice
We take creative writing to youth justice residences to encourage participation and produce books by rangatahi that reflect their lived experience.Learn more about Writers in Youth Justice03 -
National Reading Survey
Since 2016, our regular national research has delivered insights on reading in Aotearoa New Zealand.Learn more about National Reading Survey04 -
Summer Reading Challenge
Our Summer Reading Challenges help motivate New Zealanders to read for pleasure over the holiday season.Learn more about Summer Reading Challenge05 -
The Reading Doctor
Our Reading Doctor column addresses barriers to reading identified by everyday Kiwis.Learn more about The Reading Doctor06 -
Annual Pānui / Lecture
The Annual Pānui provides an opportunity for one of our country’s leading writers to discuss an aspect of literature close to their heart.Learn more about Annual Pānui / Lecture07 -
Pōkai Tuhi
Pōkai Tuhi is an initiative to work with more Māori and Pasifika writers to inspire our tamariki.Learn more about Pōkai Tuhi08
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44K+School students reached
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13Regions throughout Aotearoa New Zealand
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90Writers engaged
Help fund our amazing programmes.
Every cent goes towards us building our campaigns to encourage New Zealanders to read, research our reading habits and barriers to reading, and advocate for the importance of reading.