Rewriting the narrative of Christmas.

While the season is often a time of celebration and giving, for several of the Wāhine we work with, it can represent a time of excess partying and substance abuse that can lead to traumatic experiences.

Because of this, helping our Wāhine to rewrite the narrative of Christmas has been a real priority as we reach the end of the year. A big part of this has been through the work of reintegration navigator, Milly Shilton, who put together a Christmas celebration with the Wāhine living in our Pathway Affordable Housing units.

Milly explained that the celebration was all about creating a safe, positive Christmas experience for the Wāhine and their children. "For them, it was trying to figure out what a dream Christmas looks like. Both of them are really into pink, so they’ve got these white Christmas trees with pink decorations all over them,"

"Christmas is a big deal for them because they didn’t have good Christmases as children, so they’ve got the opportunity to create that for themselves and they’re loving it." Milly says.

The celebration represents a big step for the Wāhine. It’s the first time they’ll celebrate Christmas in their own home with full custody of their children. So, being able to celebrate in a positive way, with decorations and gifts for their children, allows the Wāhine to continue to break the inter-generational cycle of violence, substance abuse, and crime.

It’s been an honour to walk alongside our Wāhine as they create new Christmas traditions, and it shows that with the right support, fresh starts are possible even during the most challenging times of the year.

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