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Whanau Pack A youth-focussed health education tool designed in the North King Country will be rolled out to the entire Waikato region next month.Population Health Services’ Te Kuiti health promoter Hilary Karaitiana worked collaboratively with Ken Wells of Te Ngaru O Maniapoto Health Services, to involve community organisations in the development and production of the ‘Whanau Pack’ in their communities. The Whanau Pack is a resource for parents of teenagers, which provides realistic advice on how to get through difficult issues with their children such as exposure to drugs, alcohol and other substances, teen pregnancy and sexual health, relationships and nutrition – to name a very few. The booklet also offers contact details for a multitude of support agencies, should these factors become an issue in the families’ lives. “The Whanau Pack is something we are proud of and believe to be a very useful tool for parenting in the 21st century,” said Mrs Karaitiana. “Many people were involved in the creation of the resource in a lot of different ways, hence the reason it’s so special to us, and ultimately, to all of them as well. “Teenage years can be a very trying time for the whole family, and to be able to offer any support at all through this phase in a person’s life is awesome.” She said the evaluation results of the NKC launch were overwhelmingly positive, hence the reason it was decided to share the tool among the rest of the region. Every single middle and secondary school will be invited to take part in the Whanau Pack project, and individual copies will be made available to all students’ families. “Waikato District Health Board has a major focus on reducing inequalities and barriers to access, which means we want to make all our resources readily available and accessible to anyone who needs them,” said Mrs Karaitiana. And the Whanau Pack is no different. In addition to the English version of the booklet, 5000 copies will be translated into Te Reo Māori for wharekura and students enrolled in Māori medium immersion classes. “We recognised that the translation of these booklets is vital for the success of this project. Where appropriate, families should have access to this sort of information in whatever form they feel most comfortable receiving it,” said Mrs Karaitiana. The Whanau Pack’s major launch will be held in partnership with the New Zealand Police in Hamilton during Youth Week, on Wednesday, May 28. Launches will also be held throughout Waikato’s smaller centres. |