Jo Flavell
Kia ora my name is Jo Flavell. I am of Irish, Scottish and French descent and I currently live in Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty with my husband and two tamariki. I grew up in Otautahi before moving to Tāmaki Makaurau at 17 to pursue performing arts before moving on to study towards a Bachelor of Social work. My first role after graduating was fortunate enough to be alongside Tara who literally found me in the garden at Ka mau te wero and was like "Hey what are you doing after your placement, coz I'm about to have a baby?! (the awesome Milan)", and the rest is history as I joined Tara at Te Waipuna Puawai, working under the guidance of Sister Marie and our beautiful Puamiria. I worked with the Teen Parents programme and Social Work alongside whanau in the community, to date has been a place that is so close to my heart and I will forever be grateful for the relationships forged here and the foundation of my mahi that I do today. I now work part-time for Rākau Tautoko in various community development projects across Tāmaki/Maungakiekie.
My relationship with HEART started when the amazing Cristy brought this kaupapa to the community while I was at Te Waipuna Puawai, and was fortunate to be alongside for the beginning part of the journey. This was a really special time and I think we all just knew that this was going to be something very special.
In the beginning, my involvement with the HEART movement was around supporting the kaupapa, being part of the Community events, street BBQs and other gatherings that brought many of us together both from the community, and those such as myself that were blessed to be working within the community. I remember these connections and celebrations always leaving you feeling filled up with hope.
More recently I have been connecting as a change agent and am excited about this reconnection to old and new faces. It is always a privilege to share and learn alongside such amazing individuals who are passionate about their whanau and community, and the richness of the experiences we can share together.
What I love about the HEART movement is that it is for everyone, no matter who you are, where you have come from, or where you are headed. This kaupapa is for us all. Embracing and supporting community leadership and champions together is something that is so important, HEART is owned by the community and they are empowered by it. I also love that this kaupapa is one that can be shared across communities, and it can be adapted and elements of HEART can and are woven into our day to day lives, enriching us all for the better, and the support that is there for each other is so encouraging. Each connection really feels like meeting another member of the whānau and being back in Glen Innes always feels like coming home for me.
I love being spontaneous and am up for an adventure, recently telling my kids to jump in the car as we created our own version of the "getting lost" game that took us on all sorts of funny twists and turns and a few silly supermarket challenges. I’m a big kid at heart really!
I also really love op shopping, I like the idea of being able to create something new from something old. Knowing that something has had a journey and imagine where that might have been and the adventures that item might have had! And that it doesn't have to cost much to find a beautiful treasure to share with a loved one
A quick word of wisdom from me: it costs absolutely nothing to be kind, choose kindness daily.