In our fantastic city of 1.3 million people there are over 200 suburbs – and many more villages or neighbourhoods.  Also living in our villages are 388,000 young people aged under 20 (Census 2006) and their families.  The old African adage of ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is more important now than ever before.

Just as each young Aucklander is special and unique, so are the neighbourhoods they live in.  Each place has its own history, identity, environment and different make up of residents, businesses, groups, services and facilities.

But how strong are our villages in Tamaki Makaurau?  Do we really have all the right ingredients in place to effectively nurture and enable the next generation of Aucklanders to reach their full potential?  What else could or should we be doing differently?

Place matters, and so do connections within and across Auckland’s diverse communities.  We need to make sure that no community or young person is left behind in the rush to ‘make Auckland greater’.  Within Tamaki Makaurau, inspiring communities and villages leading the way can be easily spotted.  In these places, you can usually expect to see:

• local people who are motivated, supported and encouraged to lead. They’re also actively part of planning and action to achieve their chosen local visions
• collaboration is thriving – multiple partners and organisations are working together, trust based relationships have been established and connections between local businesses, organisations, and institutions such as schools and churches and neighbourhoods are valued and nurtured
• communities and agencies are thinking creatively.  They are open to new ideas and opportunities, look outwards to other communities for insights, ideas and help, and are committed to try different ways of thinking, working and communicating to achieve local outcomes
• local energies, resources, networks, talent and ideas being harnessed and leveraged
• an ‘anchor’ organisation, agency, collaboration or hub is acting as the convenor, connector and catalyst for locally-led action and change.

At Victory School in Nelson there’s a popular catch phrase, “the purpose of a school is to help a community educate its children, and everyone matters.”  This really strikes a chord with me.

Schools and other learning hubs such as early childhood education centres, marae and community houses are increasingly seen as key community focal points and potential ‘anchors,’ for both local education and broader community-led change.

Research emerging from Victory School in Nelson, and many other learning hubs here in Auckland, suggests that bravely taking a ‘whole community’ approach to education and learning, and co-locating other services and supports for families and communities can make a real difference. The more learning hubs reach out, the greater the potential impact on student learning and achievement.

A recent literature review by the Families Commission noted agreement between diverse academics that the system of relationships between families and schools needed to change.  Many educationalists now argue for “schools fundamentally shifting from seeing the community as the problem to be fixed, to the community being the solution to the problems faced” (Berg et al, 2006; West-Burnham et al, 2007 cited in Paths of  Victory 2010).

So what next?  We need to celebrate, profile and learn from learning hubs here in Auckland who are doing just this - proactively and effectively involving parents, families and communities in local education processes.  In doing so, they are actively helping students, parents, families and communities to achieve their learning goals and neighbourhood dreams. Practical examples are learning hubs that are:

• purposefully co-locating health and social support services, parks, playgrounds, library services, whanau and community meeting spaces alongside learning hubs
• converting surplus dental clinics into onsite community service hubs
• hosting events like community treasure hunts, sports challenges and concerts to bring communities together
• hosting regular coffee mornings to support parents and build relationships within the local parent community
• valuing and encouraging intergenerational learning and enrolling ‘whole families’ in learning
• providing onsite learning opportunities for parents and families as well as children
• having staff who can proactively reach out to families who need support before things reach crisis point
• intentionally bringing in community expertise and knowledge into classrooms
• fostering leadership opportunities for young people both in school and out in their neighbourhoods
• encouraging parent volunteers and supporting them to progress further training and employment opportunities in education and learning
• valuing cultural diversity and understanding and supporting diverse cultural contexts and approaches to learning and education
• partnerships with local business and other funders to increase school and community resources, grow opportunities for new thinking and ideas and work experience opportunities for young people
• making school facilities open for wider community use eg. school pools, technology suites, sportsfields, meeting spaces, gardens and kitchen facilities.
• meeting regularly as a local learning cluster of early childhoods, primary and secondary schools
• being an active part of broader community networks and collaborations.

Equally, we must challenge inward looking communities and learning institutions to look wider and explore other ways and models that can be adapted for even greater education and community benefit. Greater support, recognition and assistance from the Ministry of Education for schools wanting to ‘innovate’ and work in these ways would also be incredibly timely.  The Auckland Council, community agencies, business and our 200+ villages themselves also have key roles to play in enabling new ways of working to prosper.  I am optimistic of exciting times ahead!

Megan Courtney

Auckland Convener, Inspiring Communities

Acknowledgements: thanks to Tatou West Harbour for sharing their images of students involved in local environmental restoration and cooking classes for whanau at the Moire Road community hall which is attached to Leataata Preschool.