Vodafone World of Difference Fellowship 2017 recipients are:
Stace Robertson is a leader within the rainbow community. Stace will be focusing his Fellowship year on developing an accessible web-based, print and multimedia resource which will increase visibility for marginalised and less visible rainbow youth with diverse intersectional experiences of disability, sex, gender, or culture.
Deidre Otene is the General Manager of The Moko Foundation. Deidre Otene’s vision for her Fellowship year is that young Māori will have the skills and experience to lead and govern at a local, national and international level and for the youth sector to be made up of sustainable organisations, providing strengths-based solutions to inter-generational issues.
Developed in 2010, the Vodafone NZ Foundation has now supported six World of Difference Fellows looking into rural youth health needs, youth justice, youth governance, youth mentoring, Alternative Education tutoring, and Oral Language Screening tool.
Dr Aniva Lawrence was the recipient of the inaugural 2010 Vodafone Foundation Youth Health Fellowship. She is a Northland GP with a passion for Kiwi youth. Aniva researched the unique health needs of rural youth and undertook a sabbatical to Canada and the United States to explore what has worked internationally.
Dr Vicki Shaw is the second recipient of the Fellowship and is based in Palmerston North. Vicki is a real advocate for young people. Vicki is working in the important area of youth justice, further developing a national working group (focused on best practice) and exploring international approaches.
Bernie Hetaraka In 2012, we were proud to announce Bernie Hetaraka from Ruakaka as our Fellowship recipient for 2013. Bernie researched “What does a youth-friendly services model look like? And how does true youth governance fit in this model” and sharing her findings with the sector.
Dr Pat Bullen, a University of Auckland lecturer in youth mentoring, has been awarded the Vodafone World of Difference Fellowship 2014. The Vodafone World of Difference Fellowship will give Pat the opportunity to further develop her expertise through examining youth mentoring models overseas and developing strategies and resources to advance the establishment of more community-tertiary partnerships throughout New Zealand. To achieve this, she will also be working closely with the New Zealand Youth Mentoring Network.
Adrian Schoone is passionate about helping young people develop their well-being by engaging in quality education. He has been awarded the 2015 Vodafone World of Difference Fellowship to provide research and leadership to build the capacity of the alternative education workforce.
Mark Stephenson 2016, “I plan to develop a screening tool to identify young people within the youth justice system who have oral language difficulties accompanied by an ‘effective oral language practice’ toolkit to assist those who work with young people in this environment. Together, these tools will assist young people’s engagement with processes that can be difficult to understand. Young people are alienated if they don’t grasp what is happening and they are less likely to co-operate with YJ plans – but they feel included when they comprehend and feel that they have a voice. Then “youth justice” can become a phrase associated with positive change.”
To read more about the Fellows click here. Or click on their names to read their blogs and read about their amazing journey/year.