PRESS RELEASE

Efforts to reduce violence in our community have been given a financial boost with voluntary sector funder ASB Community Trust putting almost $300,000 into several key projects.

 

The grantmaker has put $112,000 into Northland’s Miriam Centre Child Abuse Research and Treatment Unit Trust, which works to overcome violence and abuse across the Northland region.

Trust CEO Jennifer Gill said the centre has worked with more than 11,000 children and families/whanau over the past 18 years and has been proactive in schools and the community. Its Wrap-Around programme works with children who are displaying extreme anger and violence in their school, family or community.

These are children of primary school age who are pulling weapons on teachers and peers, going to school under the influence of drugs, abduction and sexual violence against younger children, intimidation and bullying and extreme physical assaults, not only against their peers and families, but making public areas unsafe. These children exhibit a poverty of compassion and hope.

The Miriam Centre team work intensively with children, their families/whanau, teachers, principals and communities to empower them to identify, face and address what are frequently entrenched intergenerational issues and thus to move towards non-violent, safe and compassionate lives.

Meanwhile, Preventing Violence in Homes has been granted $150,000 for its work, which includes crisis response teams, a telephone crisis line, advocacy services and community education.

The work of this group, formerly known as the Domestic Violence Centre, has received ongoing support from the Trust, which has granted it almost $500,000 since 1999.

The work of Violence Free Waitakere has also gained a grant, with $23,898 going to its community awareness project. Previously known as Zero Tolerance to Violence, the group aims to create awareness of the effects and causes of violence. It provides education and support for peaceful conflict resolution, assisting clubs, schools and workplaces in Waitakere.

(ENDS)