Hello everyone! During the holidays I had the opportunity to dive into so many new experiences that I had a great deal of fun taking part in.

Some of the highlights of my holidays were, speaking at an inspiring speakers event, helping the running of an interactive art mural, participating in the GirlBoss Edge: Ministry for Primary Industries programme and attending an Environment Canterbury workshop.

I am part of a programme called Puāwai, which is all about bringing together youth from a wide variety of different cultures in Christchurch, in order for us to come together and embrace how our differences make us all the same. 

As part of this programme, I spoke at an inspiring speakers event on behalf of the Muslim Rōpū and spoke about things such as stereotypes, hardships and things we would like people to know more about us on many different levels. Being able to have my voice heard and getting more exposure to different viewpoints was definitely a big highlight of this event for me, and I will continue to nurture this experience. 

In this programme, I also helped with the planning and running of an interactive art mural, where the public could come and paint/draw/create disks that showcased what identity meant to them. These were then hung up and kept in an interactive walkway style to display many messages of how identity is unique, diverse and beautiful.

The GirlBoss Edge: Ministry for Primary Industries programme was a wonderful experience, that I was so lucky to have the opportunity to take part in. This programme was all about learning more about what the Ministry for Primary Industries is all about, establishing your own brand for the future and forging more connections with like-minded young wāhine. This experience was surreal. From the online modules, to getting to interview people who work at the Ministry for Primary Industries, having 1:1 mentoring sessions and hearing from amazingly skilled New Zealanders such as vets, climate change analysts and Antarctic explorers to name a few, this experience was filled with so much positivity and growth, and I have taken so much away from it.

In my holidays I also attended a Youth Leadership for Sustainability workshop at Environment Canterbury. Here, I learnt more about our environment, got into some very insightful discussions about steps for the future and innovative leadership towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, as well as listening to a number of extremely talented New Zealanders, doing amazing things for our nation. This gave me such a fresh perspective, and is also an experience that I will forever cherish.

I hope you all had an amazing holiday too, filled with fun, relaxation and new experiences!

Hawwa

Nāku iti noa