The beginning of Tairua For Mental Health
Although we are currently in level 4 lockdown here in Aotearoa (this being our first lockdown experience since leaving Europe… and a bit unexpected) – we thought we couldn’t possibly NOT write a little blog post about what we had been up to prior to lockdown.
As we’ve already mentioned before, when we envisioned our ideal clients and projects we’d be working on with SOAK, we imagined small groups of dedicated people, working at a grassroots level to bring positive changes in their communities. Perhaps not people with the biggest budgets, but definitely people with a big amount of courage and heart. When we set up 5 months ago, little did we know that we would get our hands (and hearts) involved in such a great community initiative.
Let us introduce you to @tairuaformentalhealth. Only a few weeks ago we got approached by lovely Helinor and Ange, two incredible local ladies who decided to organise a charity art auction in support of Gumboot Friday, whose mission it is to promote positive attitudinal societal change around mental health throughout New Zealand, and fund private care and counselling for young people stuck-in-the-mud on waiting lists. What started as a very spontaneous idea of a small group of local ladies has turned into magic.
As mental health is a topic very close to our hearts, we were immediately on board. We feel like we have all had our own share of mental health struggles – whether that is personally or within our family and friends groups. And – let’s be honest – the pandemic hasn’t helped. We feel so lucky to be living during times when mental health is no longer considered taboo and we can openly talk about our experiences without the fear of being judged by others – we truly are all in this together.
We had our first meeting brainstorming ideas about the art auction and potential future activities as well. As for us, SOAK, we quickly created a logo and an overall look and feel, so we could start setting up the socials and spreading the word, while the ladies organised all the artwork, venue and support of the local businesses. Few short weeks passed and suddenly it was Saturday August 14th – the day of our auction. And oh, what a great success! Not only did we have a beautiful sunny day ahead of us, the venue also look incredible and everyone had a huge smile on their face. The kind and generous spirit of the Tairua community could truly be felt 100% on the day, everyone was bidding high, having a great time and lots of laughs supporting such great cause. The auction was a raging success with over 14.000 dollars raised for Gumboot Friday! We are beyond thankful to everyone who came and supported the event, everyone who bought a piece of art, everyone who helped spread the word and all the local businesses who provided their goods of services – this truly was our community coming together!
We have loved working on this little magical project can’t wait to continue working on it in the future – making Tairua For Mental Health an umbrella for all sorts of activities and get togethers of this wonderful community (we are thinking workshops, markets, music, exercise, wellbeing, perhaps some cheeky conscious merchandise?) … SO EXCITED!
Keep your eyes peeled for what is to come and give yourself the time and space to rest and recharge during this lockdown.
We can’t wait to see everyone’s lovely (unmasked) faces very very soon!
a little mood board behind the logo – inspired by sunny days in Tairua, the view from our beach walkway, with the natural coastal aesthetic in mind
words and images by Petra