Youth Empowerment Project - Aims & Initiatives

The Youth Empowerment project focuses on 6 key focuses areas as listed below. During your time in the village, each of the areas below will take up two sessions each. The session plans you are delivering are designed in collaboration with our partners and their aims, the material itself being tailored to the setting of the project – engaging workshops activities that provide a platform for all to learn about different perspectives and understand their own more clearly. The sessions boost self-confidence and soft skills for all involved and empower the leaders of tomorrow, including yourselves.

Although you will find out the workshop content in Fiji during your briefing, and actually facilitate the sessions in small groups alongside Fijian youth members, below are some overview points explaining what we mean by the subject and a little bit of context as to why that focus area has been prioritised in Fiji.

1. Physical Activity

Physical activity encompasses the use of sport (and its general development in rural areas) but also the healthy lifestyle associated with activity.

The welfare of youths in the country is one of Government’s priorities and one of its main focuses is to see young Fijians treated fairly as part of its commitment to an inclusive policy for all Fijians regardless of ethnicity, social background, and status in the community, culture or religious beliefs. To address this with young Fijians, government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports has put in place opportunities for our youths to be empowered and self-sustainable through the Ministry’s mobile and specific Skills, empowerment and capacity building training programmes.

Outreach programs such as the one you are joining fill a gap and addresses youths that have not made it in the formal education sector. To complement this the Ministry of Youth and Sports focuses on the facilitation of youth and sports development through the establishment of a conducive policy environment that provides strategic support systems, initiatives for personal development, character building, sports policy implementation and community-based youth-led programs. Our youth empowerment project sits within this space as an outreach opportunity, using sport as a tool in the holistic approach to youth empowerment and the movement towards the aims outlines in The Healthy Islands Initiative.

The Healthy Islands Initiative

Non communicable diseases (NCDs) in Fiji is the number one killer. In order to address NCDs, the initiative focuses on young people to achieve prevention and protection. The seven action areas include financial, political, economical, physical, social, mental, and spiritual well-being.

In order for the programme to work, it must be hollistic. It looks at lifestyle and living conditions suimultaneously, rather than binarising physical, mental, social, economic, and spiritual factors. Addressing preventative factors aims to reduce dependency on medication. Sport and physical activity in rural communities is therefore a key strategy within the lifestyle space as a prevention measure for potential feature NCD cases and halting alarming statistics trends.

Hear Manasa Seniyasi, former Advisor for the Ministry of Health in Fiji and current trustee of the Think Pacific Foundation, talking about the origin of the Health Islands Initiative.

2. Environment and Climate

Environment and Climate is another major theme that immediately affects Fiji and one that the Ministry of Economy is very keen to stimulate further awareness and discussion amongst youth in Fiji, not only those going through higher education but also those in rural communities who are just as affected, if not more disproportionately affected by climate change.

As a Small Island Developing State, Fiji is severely impacted by both the slow and sudden onsets of climate change induced by global dependence on unsustainable fossil fuels. Rising sea levels engulfing low-lying coastal communities, saltwater intrusion reducing arable land, changing weather patterns impacting food security, and catastrophic cyclones reversing years of development progress while threatening fiscal stability are some of the major climate-induced adversities Fiji faces. These adversities tremendously impact sustainable livelihoods, security and well-being and contribute to an increased incidence of poverty and undue pressure on social services. Below are just a few of immediate factors that affect Fiji particularly:

• Rising Sea Levels
• Saltwater Intrusion
• Increased Flooding
• Ocean Acidification
• Catastrophic Cyclones
• Loss of Bio-Diversity

Discussing perspectives on climate change is important as people are affected and aware of it in different capacities but all need to be change makers moving forward in attitude and action. Within these discussions, you as an international participant will have a very different relationship to climate change in regards to your understanding and encounters with it. You will come from a country that is likely a higher emitter of greenhouse on the global stage than Fiji and you yourself will likely have a much larger carbon footprint than those who are living relatively sustainably in rural communities in Fiji. But that is why a cross-cultural and cross-societal discussion becomes so interesting and important. Individuals can look each other in the eye and understand what is a global challenge from different perspectives, with all learning and all understanding their place in the bigger picture of a what is a global threat.

3. Leadership

At its core, across all the focus areas listed here, the Youth Empowerment Project is about empowering young people to be passionate and confident leaders in their own communities. The leaders ship section of the Youth Empowerment Project hones in on the more specific skills associated with being an affective leader and contemplates it in different contexts. It aims to make people think consciously about their own development within leadership potential.

There are two major areas that we focus on in the sessions: What is leadership and Becoming a Leader

In addition to the major focus of these sessions, an underlying subject is leadership with a strong Cultural IQ. The world is becoming ever more connected meaning that in our working lives we are exposed to an increasing variety of people and cultures. With this increased connectivity we are ensuring more equal representation in decision making positions and can therefore develop a world which is inclusive of people from all backgrounds, races, genders and sexualities. This poses a new challenge to leaders. Whilst it is not expected that leaders must understand the norms, values and practices of ALL people, there are skills which can be developed amongst leaders to ensure their leadership style transcends and respects cultural nuances. The structure of this project lends itself to this.

Interested on hearing more about Leadership stimulation in Fiji? Get a head start by hearing from our partners ‘Leadership Fiji’:

4. Enterprise

Much of Fijian economy stems from entrepreneurial effort and income in rural areas is predominantly through the buying and selling of produce and through the efforts of small community businesses. The likelihood is that the young people you will be working with will grow up to work in this space if they don’t already and it is beneficial to engage in consciously thinking about the skills that are required in business.

Retaining skilled individuals in the business space is also critical for Fiji’s wider economic growth, especially if capacity in rural areas is utilised. Increasingly over recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Fijian’s going to work overseas in countries such as Australia. Whilst some individuals on the scheme have demonstrated success, others have questioned the true impact that this employment has.

In their 2011 quarterly review the Reserve Bank of Fiji released figures which showed that between 1987 and 2001, 75,800 people had left Fiji. 571 skilled workers migrate from Fiji every year. In countries such as Australia, where the minimum wage is more than 10x the Fijian minimum wage, even Fiji’s high-skilled workers are leaving to work in low-skilled roles overseas, resulting in a depleting workforce back in the islands.

Within the workshops, you will consider just how important context is to the success of a business and assess barriers to growth and start-up in different contexts, both Fijian and Global.

5. Mental Health

Mental Health is a taboo subject in Fiji and is often misunderstood and heavily stigmatised.

The discussions and activities in the workshops themselves themselves are taking place on behalf of our partners who are utilising international participants as a fantastic opportunity for these discussions to take place whilst also using the project itself as an outreach for existing initiatives. We explore new perspectives, ideas and activities to promote positive mental health.  In line with the Fiji National Development Plan, and organisations such as Youth Champs 4 Mental Health, the long term aim is to equip Fiji’s youth with the tools to be ambassadors for mental health awareness, understanding and support in their communities.

Misconceptions and misinformation can promote fear and shame associated with mental illness. This stigma can cause young people to lack help in seeking the support they need, or lead to negative coping mechanisms when dealing with stress. The age old saying “prevention is better than cure” is especially true when resources & training for ill-mental health are low on the ground. In Fiji today there remains just one psychiatric facility and just 3 doctors with postgraduate mental health training. Meanwhile, suicide rates in Fiji are concerning and continuing to rise.

Mental health is much more than the absence of illness, and anyone can experience challenges to their mental wellbeing. However, 42% of Fijians said they would be put off seeking any help due to embarrassment (Aghanwa 2004). If local mental health ambassadors can influence attitudes and understanding, then they can break the stigma surrounding discussing mental health.

Hear Matthew from Youth Champs 4 Mental Health explaining more about the subject regarding young people in Fiji and how these projects are useful strategies to open up the conversation.

6. Public Health

The Public Health Workshops aim to increase awareness in a country with the highest rates deaths related to NCDs in the world.

You will be joining this initiative which is in collaboration with and on behalf of Diabetes Fiji, striving to achieve a healthier environment and education for people with or at risk with diabetes. The vision for the project is that people living with or at risk of Diabetes are empowered to take ownership of their health and adapt a healthy lifestyle.

The discussions and activities themselves are taking place on behalf of our partners who are utilising international participants as a fantastic opportunity for these discussions to take place whilst also using the project itself as an outreach for existing initiatives, tailored to guide everyone involved to reflect on important topics and become leaders within their communities.

You’ve heard about the Healthy Islands Initiative before, but hear Manasa talking about the ‘7D Process’ in a lot more detail. How the Health Islands Initiative goes from idea to implementation. As an official outreach project for the initiative, our projects utilise each of these processes.

If you wanted to read more, you may be interested in Fiji’s National Wellness Policy which also direct the Health related focus areas in this project.

Who are the Youth you are Working With?

The official definition of ‘Youth’ in Fiji according to the Ministry of Youth and Sports is anyone between the ages of 18-35. Villages in rural locations in Fiji more often than not have a registered ‘Youth Group’ that is made up of members of the village of that age. The extent to which that group is utilised within the village varies due to member commitments and their re-ignition is a real focus for the current Ministry of Youth.

Context

18-35 year olds in the village often come with a variety of backgrounds and life stories: some may have dropped out of school as early as the age of 14 who engage in farming within the village’s subsistence lifestyle, others may be returning university students or school finishers, but all will be gain from the interactions that the project facilitates. Due to a variety of reasons, rural communities in Fiji have a significantly lower access to opportunity to urban areas and the ‘Youth’ are the primary demographic to be affected by that. This means that fundamentally out projects are outreach initiatives promoting equal access to opportunity.

Why Work with Youth?

Youth are the new generation of leaders in Fiji and within communities. They are the target demographic for many of the advocacy efforts of our partners because of this. What is handy for your engagement on this project too is that you will be the same age as most of the people in the room… there is a real opportunity for cross-cultural exchange in an opportunity like this where you can look people in the eye who have very different experiences and backgrounds and learn from each other in a collaborative space.

In addition to the points above, we aim to support young people in rural areas by furthering their employability and employment opportunities, advising about and delivering local training and education opportunities, encouraging them to become local ambassadors for the Fiji National Development Plan and to continue advocacy with their peers and younger generations within rural areas of Fiji.

The sessions are facilitated collaboratively by TP volunteers and Fijian Youth in small groups and are delivered to the rest of the group involved in the project (18-35 year olds).

Logistics

Time commitment – 2 hours per day,  Monday – Friday for the duration of the project

Numbers – 1 project

• Team of 18-28 International Participants on the TP Team
• 3-4 TP leaders
• x20 Fijian Fijian Youth

x20 Youth are given $20 each day to attend the session as standard with any youth programme in Fiji (as they may be giving up time at the farm/fishing/households/daily life to attend). This is to be organised with the Turaga ni Koro who with the leaders, will arrange a register for those attending each day/week and make those payments weekly.

Background

The session aims are designed by our partners who have sent through topics to be covered in their respective fields, activity plans and desired outcomes of the sessions. These activities and discussions delivered in rural communities align with their own objectives as experts in the field and support wider goals as addressed in the Fiji’s National Development Plan.

These initial plans have been formatted and compressed by Think Pacific to help guide our team and community youth to deliver the sessions, whilst also giving freedom to them to tailor the activities / languaging of the session according to their judgement of the particular community’s response.

Delivery

Volunteers will be able to choose which sessions they would be most interested in facilitating during team briefing. Youth will have the opportunity to decide during prep-visits , before the TP enter the village.

The groups will then be displayed the workshop topics and plans during their briefing and can allocate themselves to deliver certain sessions in small groups (after discussion with leaders), allowing creative space for their own activity ideas as long as the core activities and themes are upheld.

Within the village, Sunday afternoon will be a crucial planning time for the sessions in the week coming.

Think Pacific Leaders support delivery of the programme where fit.

Resources and Evaluation

All resources for the workshops provided by Think Pacific, including a project box with a large variety of stationary and workshop based materials.

Oversight 

TP Leaders will oversee:

• Delivery Groups Selection
• Signing off on weekly agenda and activities
• Communication with Village and Youth Group.
• Liaising with management for reflections
• Assisting with delivery

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation efforts continue post-project in every community we visit. This ensures long-term sustainability with further funding opportunities and highlighting scholarship opportunities post-project delivery for young people. There is a reflection period for the team to reflect on delivery and after the entire delivery period, we will then feedback to our partners through impact reports.

The Purpose of the Culture Course

Daru Vueta Tale Mada

“Culture is how we act, think, and behave based on the shared values of our society. It is everywhere, and we continually develop and define our culture on a daily basis.”

What is it?

The Culture Course is an experiential learning programme as standard with any rural Think Pacific project in line with requests from the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs. You will be immersed in rural Fijian culture throughout your project but this course intentionally goes deeper! Through immersion, the course aims to educate project participants about the nuances of indigenous Fijian culture through structured sessions delivered by members of the community youth group themselves and Think Pacific leaders.

Purpose

The course is set up to encourage an appropriate mindset from participants during the project, facilitate a meaningful experience for you but also works towards wider goals set out by the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs.

Fijian culture can be identified firmly as being an oral tradition – cultural knowledge is not written down and is transferred from generation to generation! A fear for many in Fiji’s current cultural climate that young people are not engaging with integral aspects of local custom and culture and knowledge is being lost. In line with requests from the Ministry of iTaukei affairs, this initiative aims to stimulate engagement with and revitalise local customs and traditions amongst rural youth. It aims to harness a pride in one’s culture and upbringing as well as practicing skills and communicating knowledge that defines the region and Fiji more broadly.

It ensures that all involved are learning cross-cultural skills through experience which they can not only support the rest of the aims during the project, but they can also utilise moving forward. This is not a one way street however as through discussing elements of indigenous Fijian culture in depth, both parties (participants and community members) will be simultaneously engaging in a cross-cultural examination of what makes up ‘culture’ and ‘people’ more broadly, exercising skills in appreciating new perspectives through discussion and reflection.

In addition, it is a clear opportunity to provide those youth leading the course a leadership opportunity, giving them a further platform to develop their soft-skills and boost personal and professional development.

The FNDP and SDGs

Fiji’s National Development Plan

By understanding the richness of Fijian culture still present today, whether through appreciating the crux of identity in understanding the vanua or the immense community wealth engrained in Fijian society, it is obvious why preserving these intricacies are crucial for the development of the country. There is also an economic incentive as Fiji’s economy is largely dependent on tourism, much of which is fuelled by cultural experience. In addition, with traditional skills and practices still commonplace, they form the basis for income-generation in many communities. With these combined, it is no surprise that Culture and Heritage holds its own plan for preservation and development in Fiji’s National Development Plan.

Fiji National Development Policy 3.1.10 – Culture and Heritage 

• Cultural heritage forms an essential part of Fijian identity, this includes language, food, rituals and arts.
• These need to be safeguarded and promoted for future generations.
• The National Culture Policy and National Culture and Education Strategy helps protect and preserve cultural heritage.
• The cultural mapping programme will be key to gather information on traditional knowledge and heritage.
• The use of local culture in the tourism industry will promote and protect cultural heritage and the “Fijian Crafted” campaign will help to promote cultural performances and traditional crafts.
• The Fiji Museum and the National Library will be upgraded thus contributing to the preservation of Fiji’s heritage.
• Artisan production will be scaled up to provide genuine and culturally appropriate goods to tourists.
• Cultural heritage sites will be protected.

The government aims to “protect and promote unique Fijian cultural heritage for sustainable development”

UN SDGs

The UN SDGs underpin Fiji’s National Development Plan. Although none of the 17 SDGs focuses exclusively on culture, it is integrated into a number of the goals and the ones below are particularly relevant to the outcomes of the FNDP found above:

• Target 4.7 refers to the aim to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for global citizenship and the appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
• Target 8.3 addresses the promotion of development-oriented policies that support productive activities as well as, among others, creativity and innovation.
• Targets 8.9 and 12.b refer to the need to devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism, including through local culture and products, and to the need to develop suitable monitoring tools in this area.
• Target 11.4 highlights the need to strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

Intended Learning Outcomes

For You:

• Learn in-depth about the lifestyle, culture and traditional skills that make up rural Fiji and importantly understand how they all relate and why.
• Develop inter-cultural competency and the ability to successfully communicate within a foreign cultural environment.
• Adaptability to changes in your own and foreign cultures.
• Tolerance: while working in teams, learn to listen more attentively, to respect each other’s opinion, team-work and team-spirit.
• Personal Skills: personability and set-up of sessions allows you to grow in confidence and communication.
• Appreciation of diversity: appreciation of the opinions and values of others, sensitivity to cultural diversity, and becoming more aware of your own culture.
• Broader Perspective: Reconsider the cultural framework you have been brought up in and acquire skills that will enable you to observe and analyse encounters with diversity and to extend these beyond the framework of your culture.
• Critical thinking.

For Community Youth Members

• Pride in their culture and upbringing and the practicing of traditional skills and knowledge.
• To encourage personal growth in the form of a boost in confidence, communication skills, team working, leadership, time management and presentation skills.
• Financial support for those involved and the youth group of the community.
• Any outstanding individuals can be highlighted for scholarship / employment opportunities
• Appreciation of diversity: appreciation of the opinions and values of others, sensitivity to cultural diversity, and becoming more aware of their culture.
• Broader Perspective: Reconsider the cultural framework they have been brought up in and to acquire skills that will enable them to observe and analyse encounters with diversity and to extend these beyond the framework of their culture.
• Critical thinking.

How does it work?

So you understand the purpose of the Culture Course and what it is… but how does it work? You will be undertaking cultural education sessions delivered by youth members of the community under four main themes of culture, all the way to the final showcase to complete the course at the end on a high. Read below for more details:

Themes

Four themes:

• Identity and Custom
• Perspective
• Art
• Food

These categories are not mutually exclusive as almost all of them will relate to at least another one of those categories. (Eg. Meke would come under the category ‘art’ but can easily also relate to identity and language, even food.)

What they can be used for, however, is structuring each week consistently with other projects whilst allowing for local variations on each category. If x2 sessions from all categories are hit and delivered, that will make up the successful completion of the course.

Each session may include a discussion element and then a practical element. Villages may choose which areas or sessions they feel most comfortable with delivering and talking about and select from those categories to create an itinerary. This will normally be agreed upon during the prep visit ahead of the team’s arrival.

Logistics

Time commitment – 2 hours per day,  Monday – Friday x2 weeks (10 days)

Numbers – 1 project

• Team of 18-22 participants
• x2 Fijian Leaders, x2 international leaders
• 5 Community Youth Members

Donation to Youth Group – $2000

Delivery

x5 key youth members will be highlighted by the community during prep-visits. These will be consistent members who would be learning delivery. Any other youth are thoroughly encouraged to take part but we know that the core 5 will always be ready to get involved.

Community Youth are expected to lead sessions based on what they feel comfortable delivering and facilitating with the community and TP leaders are there to support. Discussions had with youth during prep visits to lay out and agree on an itinerary for the 10 days (+ weekends).

In addition, although they can have free creative license (there may be a unique tradition that they wish to include), to support and give some ideas, the manual will be beneficial providing not only an outline of the course, the purpose, but also plenty of session ideas to give them ideas and for them to use if they are ever stuck. These session plans will not be leading (not making every project a carbon copy of the other), every village is unique and can add its own flavour.

Completion

There are a couple of aspects to the way we end the course but the main aim is to demonstrate learning outcomes whilst feeling like a fitting end to the time in the village.

Completion Criteria 

We believe it is beneficial to have both a practical element to completing the course as well as a reflective one… It combines both experiential learning and critical reflection.

1. Showcase 

Live performance of one of the ‘art’ components learnt: a learnt meke / vucu to the village at the end of project. If you take part, you have sealed off the experience.

This would coincide with a big grog session (celebration) and the official end of the project on the final night / final appropriate night as an official part of the project.

Purpose:

• To demonstrate commitment to the program
• To demonstrate appreciating and learning new skills
• Great fun.

2. Top 3s

After the showcase to the village, each participant picks three main observations/appreciations of their experience in comparing their own culture with Fiji’s, expanding on what they have learnt. This may be shared with the village at the end of the project during a final celebration, taking turns to present to them. (Brownie points if shared in Fijian!)

The village youth delivering the sessions will also do the same. May include what they learnt during the experience and how they found delivering it.

Purpose

• Provides opportunity for critical reflection
• Practices public speaking
• Would ensure a fitting and heartfelt end to the project itself.

No Superheroes, No Saviours. Just Thoughtful Collaboration, Challenge and Understanding…

Setting You Up For Success.

You won’t change the world on a TP project (or any volunteer project).  But with us, you will be able to make a small and real contribution. International development is complex. International volunteering organisations can be a real mixed bag of quality.If you’re reading this then we know you’re someone who likes to delve deeper and consider carefully – which is wonderful!

You join a project for a short period of time, but with Think Pacific your impact is part of a long-term plan, which achieves sustainable charity initiatives. In other words, you become a chess piece in a much bigger game of chess! Our projects are hugely inspiring and rewarding for communities and Fijian youth in Fiji and continue to achieve empowering and sustainable results. To progress our impact further, we’re looking for individuals who really want to learn about Fiji, embrace a new way of life and test yourself in unfamiliar settings. If you come to Fiji with this mindset and  a positive ‘can do’ attitude, we promise, you’ll work on genuinely sound initiatives, which are making a real contribution at a local level – A programme that breeds global understanding, fosters youth development and is demanding but carefully designed to match to your skill level.  We also know the project is a real challenge, but that living at the heart of a Fijian village is just about the biggest, most reflective and most memorable life lesson you can have.

Where Does Your Impact Come From?

Using external participation to boost internal opportunity 

Think Pacific does not need to exist, but we aim to act as a surplus of support. When you are joining a Think Pacific program, you are funding initiatives that happen on the ground whilst also witnessing and participating in their delivery – seeing that action unfold in-country. You are essentially providing important resources and your own time that can be re-distributed to support a uniquely Fijian approach to development. This is a unique learning opportunity for you that does not replace opportunities for local engagement, it actually has a place in creating them; boosting local employment opportunities and boosting the stability, sustainable growth and capacity of our Fijian partners.

Our 9-Step Process To Crafting Each Project

Creating The Most Sustainable Impact Possible

Volunteering With Us Means…

Accountability & Local Oversight 

Did you know? Many volunteer organisations act as a ‘middle man’ for local NGOs and charities abroad. This can cause conflicts of interest, unrealistic expectations and mixed messages. As a UK social enterprise (Think Pacific) and a registered Fijian charitable Trust (Think Pacific Foundation), with over 100 annual staff in Fiji, we provide whole oversight and accountability of the projects and wider local aims of training, monitoring and sustainability.

Fundamental to this model, every Think Pacific project is planned in collaboration and at the request of communities and local organisation and directed and monitored by Fijian Ministries to ensure our projects have real purpose and long term sustainability. We are respected for working within the framework of the government, adding immediate benefit to long-term strategies through projects themselves and continued funding provided year round. This includes driving forward the aims of Fiji’s National Development Plan and being a key facilitator of the Ministry of Health’s Towards a Healthy Fiji Islands Initiative.

So rather than imposing our own ideals, the projects themselves and your participation are designed to wholly support localised objectives through supporting our partners. And on a mindset level, you know exactly what is expected of you during the delivery of project… a huge opportunity to learn and a engage in what is a fascinating exercise of cross-cultural dialogue.