MAAMA Community Training by the Village Collective

On Wednesday 15th July we were so excited to host Penni and Jazriel from The Village Collective for their MAAMA Training at the Reserve Tāmaki. We hosted the training with Tāmaki Youth Council (Gloria Tuitupou)

Here are some words from a participant - Debbie Pourau,

Today, I had the privilege of sitting in the presence of the Village Collective, an experience that profoundly broadened my knowledge and deepened my understanding of identity, culture, belonging and community. The session today gave insight to the whakapapa of Village Collective paying homage to the members of representation, sharing cultural celebrations and a touch on history pre colonization around tuakana, teina, moving more into relative times of today. Knowledge shared of Takatāpui, LGBTQ+, and MVPFAFF+ and the meanings. My takeaways are every individual we engage with has their own Matala (journey), and today’s Talanoa (discussion) served as a powerful reminder of the unique paths people walk. It highlights the importance to show up and listen with an open heart and mind. Create safe, culturally grounding spaces that people can engage, strengthen their sense of belonging and navigate life with confidence. One concept that particularly interests me to learn more of is Whare Takatapui. Exploring how this framework supports, affirms holistic well-being for the practice of my mahi and the gender affirming health care session to have my mahi team attend to support our rangatahi journey of care.