2022 Annual Report

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OUR POINT OF DIFFERENCE

Empowerment Trust provides tailored primary prevention work across New Zealand that is trauma-informed and evidence-based.

The Kidpower approach increases protective factors and reduces risk factors for potential victims and perpetrators of all types of violence (including sexual violence) by providing strategies, awareness, and skills to prevent potentially violent situations from escalating and  getting out of control, build healthy relationships, and navigate conflict without aggression.

We create safe learning experiences for people of all ages and abilities to take positive effective action to avoid or stop bullying, abuse and violence. Skill building, hands-on, positive practices act as a catalyst for change.

CHAIRPERSON REPORT

Empowerment Trust has had another successful year despite the challenges of ongoing uncertainty and disruption from COVID. We have continued to provide valuable education and support to the communities we support and strengthen our reputation as a valued contributor in the violence prevention arena.
We have achieved many things during the year: secured new funding streams, strengthened sector collaborations, refreshed our external engagement model and new Board members to name a few.

The close of the Mates and Dates program at the end of 2022 provides an exciting opportunity for us to bring to life our community mobilisation model in the programs we deliver.

My heartfelt thanks to Fe and all our dedicated team for their mahi, we are the organisation we are because you live and breathe our values every day.

Thank you to the Trustees for their time, support and expertise.

We are fortunate to have strong support from our communities and look forward to continuing to work alongside you.  Please enjoy this calendar and annual report.

Nicola Cheeseman, Chairperson

YOUNG CHILDREN & THEIR ADULTS

Kidpower Programmes have been developed to be easy, positive, safe and fun!

Our approach builds consistent, common language and strategies for conflict resolution and boundary setting through:

• Professional development for educators
• Child/Tamariki workshops
• Parent/Whānau education

It supports Te Whāriki Early Childhood and the NZ Education Curriculum including the Healthy & Sexuality guidelines. Resources like the Kidpower Flip Cards make it easy for teachers, parents and other caring people to reinforce the learning.

CHILDREN (8-12 YEARS OLD)

We use our strength based, step-by-step Skills First For Safety Kidpower Positive PracticeTM teaching method (an approach used since 1987) to teach the Essential Safety Skills. In the past year, 2,592 children practised skills and strategies to:

• keep themselves safe with peers,
• set boundaries with others,
• be safe outside of the family or school environment,
• get help and insist if someone does not understand or help,
• defend themselves as a last resort.

A variety of resources and programmes help caring people practise safety skills with the children in their life and/or work.

TEENS & ADULTS

The past years data regarding adult participants illustrates our reach:

• 56% NZ European
• 22% Maori
• 15% Pasifika
• 7% Asian or other ethnicity

Adults & young people practised how to:

• recognise an emergency situation and take quick action to take charge of their own and other people’s safety
• get help as soon as possible
• stop bullies and inappropriate touch or behaviour
• cope with peer group pressure
• turn fear into positive practical action
• de-escalate potentially dangerous situations including: – dealing confidently and effectively with verbal aggression – stopping aggressive confrontations before they start by being: supportive; redirective; directive; taking charge
• (as a last resort) use physical defence skills to stop violence and get help

* reach includes ECE adults, doesn’t include Mates & Dates teens

MATES & DATES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Mates & Dates is a strengths based healthy relationships programme for secondary school students. It’s designed to help prevent sexual and dating violence by teaching young people relationship skills and behaviours to carry with them throughout their lives. It’s about all kinds of relationships including friends and family.

The themes are:

• healthy relationships
• skills and consent
• identity, gender and sexuality
• when things go wrong
• keeping safe together

Post Survey Results:

• 89% said that the programme helped them understand the importance of consent.
• 96% had a better idea of what to do to help if a friend who was in a harmful (violent or abusive) situation.

In 2020/2021 our teams facilitated the ACC Mates & Dates programme in 45 Secondary schools across the Tasman, Auckland and Canterbury regions, running 259 modules.

PEOPLE LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

More than 560 young people and adults with intellectual disabilities used our Healthy Relationships resources.
Fullpower Healthy Relationships is a evidence based programme that continues to be developed with and for teens and adults with intellectual disabilities. They provide practical tools to build resiliency and prevent bullying, violence and abuse covering three modules:

Four Healthy Relationships Rules Saying Stop and Stopping Getting Help

We are expanding on the successful Fullpower Healthy Relationships Ambassadors in Christchurch, Wellington and Tasman are teaching peers and:

• co-lead interactive sessions
• teach relationship skills
• facilitate genuine sharing
• Outcomes include: awareness, safety and inclusion for all

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Major accomplishments to date include:

• Reaching more than 100,000 people nationwide since 1993.
• Eliminating barriers to delivery by ensuring the needs of minority groups are met including deaf and hearing impaired communities, young people and adults living with intellectual disabilities, head injury patients and senior groups.
• Collaborating with Skillswise and Community Connections on our Fullpower Ambassador programme where people living with intellectual disabilities are empowered to deliver healthy relationships education to other people living with intellectual disabilities – an example of community mobilisation where initiatives are developed with community, for their community.
• Funded to work in high risk isolated communities with regard to primary prevention skills and strategies
• Continued collaborating on a holistic programme with Safeguarding Children New Zealand with the aim of creating Child Safe Communities

We invite you to make a special effort to transform the fear of bullying, violence, and abuse into a future of lifelong safety and success for today’s youth. Our goal is to encourage every adult, parent, teacher, mentor, safety o cer, neighbour, everyone – to make sure that the children and teens in your life can count on you for help.

We collaborate with Safeguarding Children New Zealand to support a dedicated week from 4-10th September.

Protection of our tamariki should be a part of our everyday lives. It is the responsibility of the whole community.

Child Protection Week highlights the importance of safeguarding children and raise awareness in the prevention of child abuse, maltreatment and exploitation.

EVIDENCE

Spontaneous feedback, success stories, and formal evaluations from workshop participants, observers, and professionals have been overwhelmingly positive from the start!

Formal research and independent evaluations in New Zealand, US and Canada provide evidence that the Kidpower programmes are effective and follow best practice in child protection.

Our approach closely aligns with:

• the 10 protective factors conceptual model of ACYF (Administration on Children, Youth and Families)
• the recommendations of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
• the Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Toolkit of ACC
• NZ Government’s sexual violence prevention work
• the philosophy of Bullying Free NZ, Keeping Ourselves Safe, Kia Kaha, and Positive Behaviour for Learning

COLLABORATION

We have proven strengths in community engagement, community driven programme development, and ability to work with others to develop courses that address identified needs.

This year, we have continued to collaborate with Safeguarding Children with the aim of creating Child Safe Communities. This involves working with communities and organisations on the prevention of sexual harm and involve empowering communities and working on system change through organisational structures and staff training.

We maintain relationships with other groups internationally, nationally and locally, to promote the prevention of violence in order to create a safer environment for all.

These include networks and forums such as:

• TOAH NNEST (Te Ohaakii a Hine – National Network for Ending Sexual Violence Together)
• Kidpower International Senior Programme Leader Group
• Safeguarding Children

RESOURCES

Tailored resources make it easy for adults to integrate People Safety practices into their personal and professional life.
Check out our wide range of safety comics and teaching resources on our web page: empowermenttrust.nz/resources

The latest additions are:

• ‘Kidpower with Maree’ teaching video series
• a new version of the Confident Kids Facilitator Guide for 5-12 year olds
• online webinars