ACHIEVING positive funding pathways for the people of Wairoa district is the goal of an exciting initiative operating at grassroots level.
The Wairoa Young Achievers Trust (WYAT) has partnered with the Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) to create the new Wairoa Funding Support Programme. The overall objective is to work collaboratively to develop opportunities and initiatives that support the successful delivery of funding for the Wairoa community. It also aims to foster greater opportunities for the community to connect.
The programme is the first of its kind for the district and at its heart is a local coordinator, Katie Cornwall. WYAT Principal Advisor Kathleen Pickering said the need for more specialised funding support had been identified in recent years by both WYAT’s operational team and trustees. Over the past decade WYAT has provided support as an umbrella organization for many local groups, organisations and individuals in a money management capacity. However, this partnership with ECCT means WYAT are now able to expand this to include more specialised support so that the community can become more empowered to access funding opportunities for themselves.
“There is a need for funding support for our people that provides somewhere they can go for advice and guidance on which funding agencies would be a good fit for their project, what the process is and what they need to get sorted to apply” said Mrs Pickering.
“Our aim is to help them to build confidence as well as their capability to apply for funding and meet their reporting obligations.”
ECCT have backed this initiative to ensure that the service is able to be provided completely free to those seeking this support in the funding space.
“ECCT has identified Wairoa as one of its priority communities and believes that by working in partnership with WYAT, an organisation who has similar objectives, a real difference can be made,” said ECCT Chief Executive David Clapperton. “Having a dedicated funding support resource, who is actually based in Wairoa, will better assist community organisations to navigate the often complex funding application space, provide guidance and support to help improve the long-term wellbeing of the community. ECCT is excited that this partnership is up and running, and following the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, believes it is required more so than ever before.”
Mrs Pickering and WYAT Chief Executive Denise Eaglesome-Karekare believe they have found the perfect person to drive the new initiative.
“Katie Cornwall has extensive experience in the both the funding and administration space and is extremely passionate about our community,” said Mrs Pickering.
“She holds many voluntary roles with multiple organisations in Wairoa and is very invested particularly in seeing our rangatahi succeed. We are very fortunate to have Katie carve out some time each week to support this kaupapa and coordinate our Wairoa Funding Support Programme.”
“The programme will be supported by WYAT’s Cyclone Recovery Support Officer Jaimee Tapine who will provide an additional on the ground friendly face-to-face first point of contact at the WYAT office,” said Mrs Eaglesome-Karekare.
Mrs Cornwall said she was proud to be coming on board as part of the WYAT and ECCT team. “Being a volunteer for many different organisations in Wairoa I am aware of financial demands and how important funding is. Funding applications can be overwhelming for many, therefore the opportunity of applying for funding is not always taken advantage of. I am excited to be able to guide and advise to make this a much easier process for Wairoa to build their capacity and grow their confidence to apply for funding.” For more information on the Wairoa Funding Support Programme, visit the WYAT offices at the roundabout end of Marine Parade.
“Knowing there is the opportunity to support with funding is truly rewarding and the assistance I can provide I believe will make a significant difference to the lives of people in our Wairoa community,” she said.
Wairoa Young Achievers Trust
www.wyat.co.nz
