Aviva reaches out to College community
20 Mar 2018
There’s no talk of “victims” at Aviva these days, New Zealand’s oldest women’s refuge having changed direction in the last five or six years to focus on working with all members of society for a better future for everyone.
Julie McCloy, Marketing and Communications Manager for Aviva, told a packed Chapel on 16 March that the 45-year-old community service had wanted a new name which “spoke to the potential in people.”
“So we chose Aviva, to show there’s always hope for the future, and the fact that although you may have experienced violence in the past, that does not limit you for the future, nor does it define you.”
Many new programmes were being rolled out, including a one-on-one service for men with anger issues, the introduction of no or low interest loans to help those struggling in the aftermath of violence, and a peer support system for people to support others on their journey to a better future.
“We’ve supported mainly women and children for all those years, but now we have introduced a specialist service for youth, those between 13 and 25 years old, and we’re working on a healthy relationships project in schools, so that children learn how to build positive relationships with their peers, friends, siblings and parents.”
She said the youth service worked on a one-on-one basis, meeting the young people at their own place, going on hikes with them, and fostering engagement.
Julie thanked the College boys for supporting Aviva through the Lenten Appeal and said it was very important to her organisation to see young people getting involved in their community to make it better.
“You can affect change by what you are doing, and we’re very grateful.”
Aviva’s fundraising manager Taase Vaoga and marketing and communications manager Julie McCloy with College Chaplain Bosco Peters.