Mentor inspiring troubled youngsters
Tai Brown sometimes sees himself reflected in the young people he’s trying to save.
The 45-year-old lives in Manurewa and works as a youth and social worker with the Genesis Youth Trust based at Glen Innes police station.
He got involved in the sector in 2004 and has just completed a bachelor of social practice at Unitec Institute of Technology.
His role is to mentor youths aged 14-17 who have been charged with a crime and need guidance and support.
The young people he works with are referred for expert help by agencies including Child, Youth and Family or the police’s youth aid section, Brown says.
‘‘Early intervention is the best but how do you make up for 16 years’ worth of damage?
‘‘Some of them have been told they’re good for nothing and will never amount to anything.
‘‘They’ve also grown up around domestic violence.’’
Brown says he starts by identifying the strengths of each young person he works with and goes from there.
‘‘We do an assessment and I try to get them to talk to me.
‘‘They’re the ones with the answers. [I tell them] it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’’
Brown sometimes helps the youths enroll in a course or get back into school, find a job, get a driver’s licence or put together a CV for a potential employer.
It’s common for them to have had no male role model in their lives, he says.
‘‘There is an absence of fathers in these homes and they’re miss- ing in a lot of these youths’ lives.
‘‘A lot of single mothers are trying to be mum and dad.’’
Brown says he can relate to many of the youths because in his own upbringing he had a shortage of positive men to look up to.
He dropped out of school at age 15, which made it a challenge later when he decided to pursue a degree part-time.
‘‘It was hard work. I was busy with home, study and life, so time management was a must,’’ Brown says. ‘‘You have to make sacrifices to fit it all in.’’
The Genesis Youth Trust provides mentoring, counselling, family therapy and whanau programmes to troubled teenagers and their families.
Its goals are to promote positive lifestyle changes and prevent youths from reoffending.