Help Upside Youth Mentoring recover from Covid-19

Myself and Lydia volunteer for a fantastic local organisation called Upside. Upside has lost 100,000 in funding due to Covid and now seeks the support of our community to fundraise 20K for a weekend long confidence camp for the kids in the program.

Upside is a youth mentoring charity that works with young kiwis who have been referred by principals, councillors, psychologists and social workers. The organisation believes that positive role models are what Aotearoas young people need to help navigate their current challenges and provide a brighter future.

I have been part of Upside for 2 years now, mentoring a gorgeous 7-year old for the first year and a half, now mentoring a fantastic 14-year, the twin sister Lydias mentee. We donate our time each week, spending a few hours with these girls and providing consistence and stability, with no expectations from the relationship other than being there when they need us.

I have seen the first hand effects of how beneficial this camp was for many young kids who lacked in confidence, had social, behavioural and mental health challenges. I’m sure many of you have visited Camp Adair before and had your own confidence building experiences - this is a cause worth donating to.

Now more than ever, it’s important for us to reach out and support our local community, if not financially, with our time and support. If you can’t help us reach our 1K goal, but still want to get involved and donate your time, feel free to ask one of us about joining Upside as a mentor.