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Kia ora,
Ka whāngaia, ka tupu, ka puāwai (That which is nurtured, grow then blossom).
How many of us are shaking our heads in wonder that it is almost the end of 2022 already? At InCommon we have been reflecting on the importance of relationships and time when collaborating to achieve your goals is your preferred way of working. As spring blooms, we are feeling like happy gardeners – this year we have sown the seeds of new partnerships, nurtured the small seedlings grown from early connections and are tending to the fruits of projects we’re proud to have grown together with friends.
It has definitely felt like a year of growth (ngā mihi to the more than 1000 of you who have taken our online quiz!), and we’re excited to also share the incredible mahi of our friends, some of which are featured below.
InCommon wants to kōrero about the things we have in common and the things that make us unique, and we hope you’ll join us! Let’s build our cultural knowledge together by being open to the ethnic and cultural differences that are a part of our society, and talking actively about diversity.
He ira tangata. He ira rongomaiwhiti tāu.
(Our differences make us unique and we all have things in common.)
Ngā mihi nui,
The InCommon whānau
InCommon Tamariki Activity
During the course of term 3 InCommon joined forces with a group of 12 year 7 and 8 tamariki and their Kaiako (teacher), Amy Thompson, from Te Kura o Ōpāwaho/Opawa School in Ōtautahi Christchurch to co-design an activity that nudges tamariki to explore what they have in common with each other, even those they may think are different to themselves.
People, children and adults alike, often gravitate towards those who look like us. We do this because we assume we will have more in common with others who look, or sound, like us. But this means we might miss out on opportunities for friendships, and it can make others feel like they don't belong or aren't welcome. So, we’re stoked to have received support from the Mental Health Foundation and the Pink Shirt Day kaupapa to bring this resource to classrooms around Aotearoa.
This was the first time InCommon has worked with tamariki and it was such a fun experience! We’re looking forward to the future mahi of these incredible young people.
We all had a blast celebrating the final product with Te Kura o Ōpāwaho this month. Ngā mihi nui, thank you to everyone involved, especially our Advisory Group member Liz Kereru and the kaumātua of Ngāi Tūāhuriri for leading the festivities and Whaea Tracy Te Hemi for leading the tamariki in their kapa haka and tp all the tamariki at Te Kura o Ōpāwaho. It was a very special end to a wonderful project!
Share Kai
In our last pānui we introduced Share Kai, a collaboration between Mahia te Aroha, InCommon and communities, to share a meal, share our culture and get to know those around the table. These simple events provide an opening to explore themes of identity, belonging, diversity and inclusion – or maybe just your favorite comfort food!
We tested our Share Kai and Kōrero Connection Cards at the Sow a Lyttel Seed Women’s Volleyball Tournament at the end of October and they (and the tasty catering by Nora’s Kitchen!) went down a treat! It was so much fun seeing people connect on a deeper level, nudged along by the food related questions – Do you say a karakia or prayer before you eat? What is your go to comfort food? Who taught you to cook? Food is a great way to get to know each other – our values and preferences are expressed through our food choices, and we can share stories of our families’ past, our communities’ history and our dreams about our future.
Share Kai and Kōrero at the Stanmore Corner Project is the first of several Share Kai initiatives we will be piloting over the next six months. This month passionate cooks from Eritrea, Bhutan/Nepal and Afghanistan came together for mentoring sessions with Ruth Trevella (of the successful Catering Belle, Foundation and Good Habit Cafés) and our team. In February (10th until mid-March) these community groups will create a showcase of their food and culture each Friday evening (6 – 9pm) at a new outside community and eatery space at the Stanmore Corner Project, 97 Stanmore Road. Come along, try injera, traditional Eritrean coffee, momos, bolani and more… share kai, connect and kōrero. Who knows what you might find in common? Look out for more on social media.
Photo: Share Kai connect cards at the Sow a Lyttel Seed Women's Volleyball Tournament
Photo credit: Ben Myall, Ara Institute of Canterbury
Ara InCommon collaboration
Last month we collaborated with three groups of students at Ara Institute of Canterbury on an exciting project highlighting the commonalities between students with, and without, disabilities.
Two third year Health Promotion students, Sem Lomani and Paris Nurse, approached us to collaborate for their final Health Promotion project and we’re so stoked with the results! Sem and Paris engaged students from the Health and the Ara Workskills departments to run an InCommon quiz session.
Eight students and their quiz responses were then highlighted in a series of posters using the InCommon concept (these might look familiar to anyone who has seen our billboards around Ōtautahi Christchurch),
Celebrating the commonalities between students with, and without, disabilities. Two design students, Kayla Barbour, and Ruby Myers, pulled together the design mahi.
Dr Helen Marshall, Health Promotion Coordinator, says the project has created a sense of unity between the students and staff, and hallway chats are now commonplace.
Look out for the posters now up around Ara campuses.
It was so much fun working with the passionate students and staff of Ara. All the best to the students for their future in the workforce!
Get in touch at kiaora@incommon.org.nz if your organisation would like to engage in a similar collaboration brining together and celebrating your people.
Photo: Rangi Ruru School and St Margaret's College pupils collaborate during Unity Week 2022
Unity Week 2023
Earlier this year to mark the third anniversary of the March 15 Christchurch terror attacks, Sakinah Community Trust initiated the inaugural Unity Week - Te Wiki Kotahitanga, as a way to honour those lost and to help reconnect people to the positive legacy of the coming together we all saw after the attacks. It serves as an opportunity to lock in the calendar and set aside time each year for important conversations around unity, belonging and compassion. For more information about the rationale behind Unity Week please read the following opinion piece by the chair of Sakinah Community Trust, Hamimah Ahmat.
Unity Week 2023 will be held between March 15 – 21. InCommon is honored to be part of the Unity Week Working Group, led by Hamimah and her team, which is establishing a framework for Unity Week 2023. Tools and ideas to inspire communities, schools, and workplaces to bring their people together during Unity Week, as well as an events calendar with details of public events, will be shared through a website launching soon.
If you’re interested in learning more about Unity Week and discussing the tools available to help activate events within your workplace during Unity Week 2023, join us for a Share Kai and Kōrero hui on Thursday February 2nd 2023 12 – 1.30pm, Ngā Purapura / Activity Room at Tūranga, Central Library. BYO your lunch or purchase a meal from one of our Share Kai community cooking groups (Bhutanese/Nepali, Afghani or Eritrean food) for $15 and support our their mahi. Please get in touch at kiaora@incommon.org.nz to register by January 26th (please include in your registration whether you will BYO or purchase a meal).
If you are interested in finding out more information about Unity Week or registering your interest in running an event for your community/organisation during the week, please contact sakinahcommunitytrust@gmail.com.
Our Ōtautahi - Stronger Together Student Hui
At the beginning of Term 4 our friends at Mahia te Aroha brought over 50 students from 12 secondary schools from across Waitaha Canterbury to have courageous conversations on belonging and Tūrangawaewae. The Our Ōtautahi - Stronger Together hui was co-designed by students from Hillmorton High School and St Andrew's College and enabled the attendees to connect with students from schools they wouldn't otherwise interact with. The highlights of the day for students varied, from the speeches on belonging, to the InCommon connection cards (so happy to hear they were a hit!), to the safe space to discuss these big topics. Mahia te Aroha saw firsthand the appetite of our rangitahi to actively engage in this space, and they're looking forward to reconvening the students at a Shared Kai event later this month.
Photo: Students from Hillmorton High School and St Andrew's College.
Upcoming Events in Ōtautahi
Together in Humanity: Stronger Together event, facilitated by our friends at the Lady Khadija Trust. This year’s event is the third Together in Humanity event, with the theme “Stronger Together”, looking at how we build understanding across various spiritual belief practices to build stronger communities, with a focus on two issues: homelessness and food security. The event includes a combination of keynote speeches, panel discussions, exhibitions, and an opportunity for roundtable discussions on the specific issues identified.
Saturday, 26 November 2022 (9:45 am – 2:30 pm).
Register now!
Recently the Ministry for Ethnic Communities launched a new flagship conference series across the motu (country): The Ethnic Advantage Conferences.
How can people make best use of their ethnic advantage – for themselves, their career, their families and their communities? The Ethnic Advantage Conferences aim to centre people from ethnic communities, highlighting the advantage that these people and their communities bring to Aotearoa New Zealand and empowering them to use this for themselves and our nation.
The first Ethnic Advantage Conference was held earlier this month in Dunedin and the second will be in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Saturday 3rd December 2022. Registration by invitation.
Do you follow us on social media? We’re dedicated to creating meaningful and informative content that celebrates diversity and fosters inclusion, come join us!
Ngā mihi nui!
Thank you for joining us for our November pānui (newsletter) we look forward to next time!
Mā te wā,
The InCommon Whānau
Photo: InCommon at Selwyn CultureFest event, October 2022.
