Nadine Metzger
| The HELP Youth Garden: A sanctuary for young women whose lives have been impacted by sexual violence |
It was an enormous privilege for Alex and I to attend the grand opening of the HELP Sensory Youth Garden at the end of last year. Earlier in the year, we had worked closely with HELP on a project called "Breaking the Silence", which - among other things - recommended that sexual violence services consider being a bit creative around building spaces for youth.
(Now - in no way are we taking credit for this garden. We didn't even say "build a garden". And, when push came to shove, we didn't even get our nails dirty. We are just telling the story.)
What happened was that HELP read the research findings and thought "how do we make this research actionable?". After that they thought "we need a garden that is a space for solitude and a sanctuary where young women can be safe". Then they wrote it on their wishlist and sent it out into the universe.*
Here is what happened next. The wishlist found its way to a fundraising event (at our favourite shop, Dalston), where it was sighted by the partner of landscape gardener Russell Dawe of InLandscape, who went home and said "you should design and build a garden for HELP." And he said "what a great idea, I'll make a couple of calls."
And then something amazing happened. All these different people and companies came on board and gave their time, resources, and products.** By December the results of this remarkable collaboration were obvious (see the pictures).
Occasionally, in the wonderful world of research and evaluation, we get to see some research of our research come to fruition (actually we quite often get to see it, But bear with me, I'm making a point). We try hard to write reports and make recommendations which don't sit on dusty shelves or act as a coffee coaster on someone's desk. And sometimes we even get to feel part of something wonderful. Thanks, HELP, for helping us feel part of such an amazing community, and for giving us a sense of hope around what can be done.
(Now - in no way are we taking credit for this garden. We didn't even say "build a garden". And, when push came to shove, we didn't even get our nails dirty. We are just telling the story.)
What happened was that HELP read the research findings and thought "how do we make this research actionable?". After that they thought "we need a garden that is a space for solitude and a sanctuary where young women can be safe". Then they wrote it on their wishlist and sent it out into the universe.*
Here is what happened next. The wishlist found its way to a fundraising event (at our favourite shop, Dalston), where it was sighted by the partner of landscape gardener Russell Dawe of InLandscape, who went home and said "you should design and build a garden for HELP." And he said "what a great idea, I'll make a couple of calls."
And then something amazing happened. All these different people and companies came on board and gave their time, resources, and products.** By December the results of this remarkable collaboration were obvious (see the pictures).
Occasionally, in the wonderful world of research and evaluation, we get to see some research of our research come to fruition (actually we quite often get to see it, But bear with me, I'm making a point). We try hard to write reports and make recommendations which don't sit on dusty shelves or act as a coffee coaster on someone's desk. And sometimes we even get to feel part of something wonderful. Thanks, HELP, for helping us feel part of such an amazing community, and for giving us a sense of hope around what can be done.
| It's a hammock, not a smiley face |
*We are big fans of sending stuff out to the universe. Here is a case in point. Two weeks ago we were having a strategic planning session (aka a cup of tea on the office couch) and wrote our research priorities down on the whiteboard. One of these was "some research into foster caring". Five minutes later the phone rang with - surprise - someone who was interested in commissioning some research into foster carers. Incidentally, "some research into community gardens" is still waiting for a taker...
** Special mention goes to:
Front Line Drainage
Bunnings Warehouse
Mankind project
Rotary New Zealand
Architects for Humanity
HELP staff and volunteers
Kings Plant Barn
The North and South Trust
Dragon Community Trust Ltd
Pelorus Trust
The Lou and Iris Fisher Charitable Trust
Rotary Western Springs, Hillsborough, Lynfield, Mt Roskill, Mangere, St Johns and Mt Eden
** Special mention goes to:
Front Line Drainage
Bunnings Warehouse
Mankind project
Rotary New Zealand
Architects for Humanity
HELP staff and volunteers
Kings Plant Barn
The North and South Trust
Dragon Community Trust Ltd
Pelorus Trust
The Lou and Iris Fisher Charitable Trust
Rotary Western Springs, Hillsborough, Lynfield, Mt Roskill, Mangere, St Johns and Mt Eden
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