Cloak of support
The English translation of Te Ara Korowai is ‘embrace the path with the cloak of support’. For seven years, the Raumati-based organisation has provided that cloak to people seeking a place to heal and feel they belong.
Art and creativity can have huge benefits for people facing mental health challenges. But it’s in the ‘doing’ rather than in the final artwork where you see the biggest impact, says Te Ara Korowai Manager Shona McNeil.
Shona says Te Ara Korowai provides a sense of belonging, and being a peer-led organisation, people using its services know somebody ‘gets’ them without having to tell their story.
“That’s why it’s important to have people who have lived these experiences themselves working and volunteering here. They are a big part of the family because they walk the talk.”
Ripple effect
Since it was established in 2012, Te Ara Korowai has been providing creative workshops and training for tangata whai ora – people seeking wellness, mainly from mental distress.
The organisation has become a community hub, offering support and a sense of belonging to the people coming through its doors.
“If you don’t get help, if you don’t feel there’s a place that recognises you as a person – a human being, not a human ‘doing’ – you could end up at the crisis point.”
The work being done by Te Ara Korowai is having a positive ripple effect, felt throughout its wider community, says Shona.
“We won a highly commended award this year through the Arts Access Holdsworth Award for decreasing stigma and discrimination around mental health issues.”
“It’s about the process rather than the product. It’s the conversations that happen over the creative tables that save lives.”
Funding = opportunities
A Nikau Foundation grant helped fund five weeks of extended hours and extra workshops – including one in which members made 500 shell ANZAC poppies. These beautiful pieces of art were displayed beside Raumati Road for the whole community to enjoy.
The grant also paid for a popular Wacky Wednesday programme in which young people with intellectual disabilities had a lot of fun making dreamcatchers.
“This was very much a process rather than a product activity. They loved having a space where they could just throw paint around and have a laugh,” says Shona.
The third project, a pilot outreach programme called Arts to You, offered art workshops in people’s homes. “We are aware that leaving your home if you are facing serious mental distress is a big challenge, so we thought maybe there’s a need for a bridge for more people to access services.”
Caring communities
“The long-term goal is to offer more services and outreach programmes from Te Ara Korowai’s Raumati base,” says Shona. “We would like to be open five days a week, to continue our collaboration with other support organisations and really build a community that cares.”
We are grateful to the Kāpiti Community Enterprises Fund which helped make this grant possible.