Back Tomorrow | Āwhina i Āpōpō

Back Tomorrow | Āwhina i Āpōpō - Unleash Your Potential to Shape Tomorrow.

What does your best tomorrow look like? What will it take to make it happen?

Join our Hapori (community) in dreaming and living into our best tomorrow together. Āwhina i Āpōpō | Back Tomorrow - for the changemakers of today, shaping the Hapori of Āpōpō!

What is Āwhina i Āpōpō?

Āwhina i Āpōpō will take a cohort of 30 young people on a haerenga (journey) to take an idea and make it a reality. There are 3 key outcomes that the programme will support the taiohi to achieve:

Grow Your Whānau: Meet and bond with other taiohi from across Aotearoa who share your passions and goals. This is a chance to create lasting connections with people working on similar projects and build a supportive whānau who will be there to cheer you on and collaborate.
Grow Your Kete: Participate in online sessions where we will support you to build meaningful collaboration with others, learn innovative problem-solving and project management capabilities, enhance your leadership abilities, and develop your storytelling prowess.
Grow Your Whare: You won’t be alone in this journey. Throughout the haerenga (journey), you'll have access to great coaches and mentors who will help guide you on this journey.

- Young people aged 14-25, committed to leading change and creating a positive impact in their communities
- Individuals with a vision for the future who would like guidance, mentorship, and tools to bring their ideas to life
- Those eager to strengthen their connection to their cultural identity and use it as a foundation for leadership
- Those who long to make change within these 3 strategic pou (pillars) - Community & Belonging, Wellbeing of People & Place, and Power & Equity
- Those who want to bring an impact-driven idea to life. This could be a huge venture or a small community project. It could be an idea you've been thinking up for years, or one not yet fully formed.
  - e.g. A community composting scheme, a social enterprise, an education programme, a wellbeing blog, an activism campaign, or a local club.
Please note, applications for 2024 have closed
- All projects must be youth-led (open to taiohi 14-25 years old)
- All applications must demonstrate how their existing or potential project / venture / mahi is or will be creating a positive impact in their community
- All applicants will need to share their key goals and future plans to demonstrate growth
- You will be asked to choose which pou your kaupapa sits under - Community & Belonging, Wellbeing of People & Place, or Power & Equity (It can sit across more than one.)
Applications open: 23rd September
Applications close: 20th October OR when all 30 spots are full
Journey #1 begins: 22nd October
Journey #1 ends: 6th December
Journey #2 begins: 13th January 2025
Journey #2 ends: 28th February 2025

Meet the taiohi

Zoe Dzapasi

Is deeply passionate about engaging with and empowering young wahine and tahine to use their own unique voice
Meg Lyster

Is dedicated to advocating for inclusivity and accessibility. Meg aims to empower everyone, regardless of their abilities, to thrive
Quack Pirihi

Dreams of a world where the health of the land is sustained and thrives through the care of the people occupying it, rather than being exploited
Skylah Holmes

Hss a passion for equity, upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and protecting Pāpātuānuku. Skylah believes that learning and growing is what brings us closer to each other and our dreams
Tiana Jakicevich

Is passionate about the restoration of indigenous knowledge systems, decolonisation, and relationships with people and place
Jayathi & Jayath Jaiganesh

Created The Sharebox initiative, aimed at fostering a culture of sharing and sustainability, ensuring all children have access to the resources they need to thrive
Eulalia Teodora

Seeks to provide to others the right to exist freely, happily, and safely. Eulalia is an advocate for youth and Indigenous rights, and youth participation in local government
Hakopa Thomas

Is passionate about teaching rangatahi Te Ao Māori and using this as a vehicle to get rangatahi into their marae and connecting to their whakapapa
Bobbie Hira

I passionate about the future rangatahi who will come after. Bobbie aims to create space and experiences for rangatahi Māori, scpecifially through Kī o rahi ao
Jahvaya Wheki

Is involved in systems change spaces. dreams to advocate for Iwi to be put on birth certificates as well as teaching kids about various paa sites
Ronan Melville

Empowers others through service-driven leadership and advocating of equity-adjusted mechanisms to amplify the voices of disadvantaged groups of people
Joshua Wang

Dreams of revolutionising waste management in aotearoa, to reduce litter and spark conversations with each piece disposed
Maia Johnston

Is a community thought leader passionate about service, compassion & belonging. Maia strives to bring hope and provide manaakitanga to people struggling
Temepara Reihana

Dreams of being a voice for people who feel alone. Temepara is deeply passionate about mental health and reaching as many people as possible with stories of hope love
Madiha Ali

Is passionate about ensuring refugees have access to education and dreams to be able to make a small difference in the lives of refugee students, no matter how small
Jasmine Georgia Thomas

Is passionate about advocating for rangatahi, develpoing youth driven kaupapa, and creating safe space for rangatahi to be able to express themselves
Alex Murray

Is passionate about seeing young people thrive within their own skin and creating opportunities to better advocate for Youth Mental Health in the regions
Te Waiora Wanoa-Sundren

Is committed to supporting māori through stem education that empowers rangatahi and strengthens the community for a resilient future
Harnain Dhaliwal, James Hawksworth & Amy Gao

Are passionate about discovering how we can better approach youth mental health, allowing young people to express themselves more freely
Isabella Miscisco, Lily Doolan, Kartini Clarke, Nikita Monteiro

The young neurodiverse champions are passionate about making a difference in other neurodivergent individuals’ lives, and finding ways that can help them live a life full of prosperity and happiness