Theo Johnston-Maurenbrecher is one of the many Mana Ake Kaimahi employed by Christchurch Methodist Mission, one of the 12 non-government organisations across Canterbury delivering Mana Ake in schools in Canterbury.

Mana Ake was initiated in 2018 when schools asked for support as they were still dealing with the impact of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The programme provides wellbeing support for tamariki 5-12 years old. Tamariki, their whānau and teachers are offered support when tamariki experience ongoing issues that affect their wellbeing like anxiety or worry at school or at home, family separation, friendship and communications issues, grief, loss, or difficulty managing emotions. Theo has been in this role for one year.

1. What do you enjoy most about your work?

I love being able to support tamariki and whānau to achieve the goals they want to work towards. Initially we sit down and have a chat and agree on some goals. At the end of the work with the tamariki and their whānau it is great to know what worked well, what has been achieved and most importantly, it is awesome when we see an increased self-esteem.

2. What is a typical day for you?

No one day is the same. One day I will have individual interventions with tamariki. Another day, I will be facilitating a therapeutic group, like Seasons for Growth which is about how to manage loss, change and grief. Or participating in an ACES course which supports tamariki to share experiences and explore new ways to cope with the separation of their parents with a mixture of games, creative activities and focused discussions. Or I might be facilitating a friendship group where children are supported in making friends and maintaining relationships.

Another day I will be meeting with parents, tamariki, teachers or principals about referrals or progress of an individual child. And sometimes I will be doing a combination of all these things in one day.

3. What is on your to-do list?

My to-do list changes every day so I need to be really flexible. But I always start with a to-do list every day. This sets out the times set aside for sessions with children, groups, meetings with parents or calls about referrals. Once I receive a referral, I will call the parent to organise a face-to-face meeting with them and their tamariki to do an assessment and to find out what some of their goals are for the time we have together.

I also set aside time to undertake research to find the most appropriate resources to best support the child and their family to achieve their identified goals.

4. What excites you most about the work?

I love the variety and the opportunities it provides to collaborate with other workers in our team. This collaboration includes discussing some work I am doing and seeking support and advice from my peers. Or it could also be co-facilitating a group. When we do this we discuss how we will work together, how we will run the group, what we want to achieve, if there are any particular things we need to look out for etc. If we are facilitating a friendship group we teach social and communication skills. We identify strengths in the children and practise how to use these. We have fun interactive games like telling someone to draw something without showing them the item - this brings out communication skills in the tamariki.

5. What have you learned since you started?

I have learnt heaps! Mostly around knowledge of working with tamariki aged 5-12 years and how to use my authentic self to bring about change in relationships. I have also learnt how to hold a space that is non-judgmental especially for tamariki that just need to be listened to.

7. If you could change two things about the world, what would you change & why?

I would like to see fewer assumptions and judgments made in society - people quickly make assumptions about others without really knowing the other person. There is not enough positivity spread around the individuality of a person. It is good to be different and everyone has their own mana, integrity and self-worth.

People are so quick to judge and make comment on things they don’t know anything about - especially on news articles or in Facebook. There is a lack of empathy and respect for others which is essential for community to function well.

7. If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?

You are more capable than you think you are. There is a lot of self-doubt in society today with people questioning themselves. My advice would be to back yourself and be confident of who you are as a person and keep pushing forward to achieve your goals.

8. What is worth smiling about right now?

It is coming into summer and I am a summer person. The sun and warmth brings about good vibes. The gardens are lush and fragrant. I am really grateful for where I am at the moment: my great job, and my family and friends. Life is good.