START Taranaki is a youth justice programme based in Kaponga that provides an alternative intervention to the traditional ‘lock and key’ approach. We work with young men between the ages of 15-17 who are at the higher end of the youth justice system, and their whanau. Our aims are to reconnect young people with the environment, build self-belief, practical skills and a sense of future for young men to make long term changes for themselves, their whanau and future generations. Our approach is one of environmental sustainability and youth development, and is holistic rather than just offending focused.

We are fortunate to have a musical component of our programme and recording studio where the young men are able to begin to develop their literacy, they learn about etymology, song structure and creative expression, all in a form that is socially relevant to them. Song writing provides an outlet to express trauma, hardship and unresolved feelings and place context around them. This in turn allows these most vulnerable young people to begin to make sense of their lives and let go of feelings that are destroying any sense of emotional wellbeing.

We have been successful in securing influential east coast recording artist Tipene to visit START Taranaki and provide valuable interaction and mentoring towards our young men. We are seeking funding in order to continue funding this mentoring programme in the future.