Wānaka meeting to cover the concerns of modern parents

Nov 03, 2022

The Wānaka Alcohol Group (WAG) is hosting a community korero on Thu 10 Nov, 7pm at the Wānaka Community Hub to hear what keeps parents, caregivers and whanau awake at night.

Although the Group still works to minimise alcohol- and substance-related harm, its areas of focus have expanded to include other challenges to our young people, such as the over-use of technology, bullying, online porn and sexual consent.

A recent poll by the WAG reveals that many parents consider access to and inappropriate use of social media as one of the primary risks facing young people.

Facebook poll run by Wānaka Alcohol Group (October 2022)

The Group’s new purpose is to empower parents, whanau and caregivers to support young people in navigating adult-sized problems.

To date, the Group has been largely made up of agencies including Kahu Youth, Mt Aspiring College, Students Against Dangerous Driving, Community Networks, the Police, Whanau Resilience, ADL and Public Health South.

Now it wants to engage the community to find out what concerns parents and caregivers have; what are considered the biggest risks to our young people; and learn how the Group can best provide support.

The Group also wants to assess community support, and welcomes expressions of interest from anyone interested in being involved.

The community is invited to a hui on 10 November at 7pm at the Wanaka Community Hub, to start this dialogue, have a cup of tea and partake of some seriously top-class chocolate.

Find out more about the event here.