The Kindness Institute dreams of a world where everyone has the tools they need to manage stress and transform their own lives. We support individuals, organisations, workplaces and schools to overcome anxiety, fear and stress, and to integrate mindfulness in a busy life.
There is a well-documented need for this work in New Zealand. For example, research for the Prime Minister’s Mental Health Project showed one in five young people will be affected by depression by the age of 18, and almost one in five meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder by 19. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of teen suicide in the developed world, with Māori disproportionately represented.
Since 2014, The Kindness Institute has been working with disadvantaged young people from kura kaupapa, alternative education, low-decile schools, youth justice and other community partners to strengthen mental health and wellbeing through:
— Delivering Atawhai, our core mental health and wellbeing programme, that works directly with youth aged 14-18 in Auckland over a 12-24 month period; and
— Training educators, youth workers & health professionals how to deliver our mindfulness programme in their workplace or community.
ATAWHAI supports rangatahi with low self-efficacy but lots of potential to thrive through activities including: positive mental health mahi, mindfulness, self reflection, Māori movement, yoga, connection to Te Reo and Te Ao Māori and the creative arts. The aim of the programme is to equip rangatahi with lifelong communication, stress management and resilience skills. Importantly, we encourage rangatahi to share the skills they learn during ATAWHAI with their whānau and wider community so there is a ripple effect of positive outcomes beyond the programme itself.
ATAWHAI has been created in partnership with the community, whānau and rangatahi to ensure our programme is relevant and addresses their cultural needs. It focuses on creating a positive, safe environment where rangatahi feel encouraged to explore and celebrate their identity, culture and hauora.
In 2019, the University of Waikato conducted a research project on our core programme, ATAWHAI. Results demonstrated that after attending ATAWHAI rangatahi were happier and less anxious. The longer rangatahi spent on the ATAWHAI programme, the happier and less anxious they were.
— Incredibly, rangatahi happiness increased by 12% and anxiety reduced by 12% from March to December 2019.
— The research also recorded increases in mindfulness, self-regulation and compassion. Rangatahi mindfulness increased by 6%, self-regulation increased by 8% and compassion increased by 10%.
All funds received will go towards supporting marginalised rangatahi with their mental wellbeing and hauora, as well as helping our organisation scale to support more throughout Aotearoa in order to realise our vision.
Our founder, Kristina Cavit, took a ‘selfish holiday’ to the Dominican Republic in 2010, where she witnessed child prostitution, addiction and poverty that ultimately lead her down the path of youth development. Her one-month volunteering stint at the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) orphanage turned into a two-year stay, following the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Kristina began teaching yoga and meditation in the children’s home after hours; and this is how the seed of the idea to develop The Kindness Institute was first planted.
Following an inspirational research trip in 2015 to the US Holistic Life Foundation in Baltimore, Kristina returned home and launched The Kindness Institute (TKI) the following year in direct response to the youth mental health crisis that continues here in Aotearoa.
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