FESTIVE SEASON IS SO CLOSEymcagisborne.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DECEMBER...December 2016 FESTIVE SEASON IS SO CLOSE Christmas is nearly upon us and as we relect on the past

Phone. 06 867 9259www.ymcagisborne.org.nz

We build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

CARING • RESPECT • RESPONSIBILITY • HONESTY • WHAKAWHANAUNGATANGA • OPEN COMMUNICATION

NEWSLETTERDecember 2016

FESTIVE SEASON IS SO CLOSEChristmas is nearly upon us and as we reflect on the past year, we are aware of those that have worked side by side with

us to shape and grow our services.

This year has had some challenges that have impacted on all of us, and it has been a pleasure to work alongside you all.

I have seen huge growth within teams that has been heartwarming and has also filled me with enormous pride.

On behalf of the board of directors, the management team and myself, we would like to say thank you once again for your

dedication to the YMCA and the work that we carry out throughout the year supporting our community, our whanau and

the young children we serve.

May you all have a safe and relaxing break over the Christmas period, enjoy

the festivities with your whanau and we look forward to seeing you all refreshed

next year.

With a very grateful heart, we say "Thank you for your dedication and warmest

wishes for a happy holiday season".

Leigh


SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE COMING SOON!

That's right, we have another fantastic Holiday Programme planned and ready for

the Summer School Holidays and there is so much fun that the pages are bulging

with activities.

Trips to Morere, Motu, Tolaga Bay and Poppa John's farm along with Olympic pool

fun, Odeon Movies, Crazy Caterpillar, themed art days, beach and playground

adventure, sports and cooking are just some of the amazing activities we have on

offer this summer.

Pop in and grab a registration form or download one from our website;

www.ymcagisborne.org.nz 'what's on' page and let us take the stress out of school

holidays.

It has been an exciting year with

OSCAR throughout 2016 and as we

have welcomed new families and staff

our programme has grown to have

consistant numbers of over 60 per

day throughout the Afterschool Care

Programme.

It is unfortunate that although OSCAR

numbers have increased unfortunately

the demand for Active Learning has

taken a decrease and with that in mind

our Active Learnng afterschool care

programme has closed its doors for the

time being. It's not all doom and gloom

in this area, we are just concentrating

on building a solid foundation with a

qualified teacher to ensure that we can

deliver educational support in the

areas of need later in 2017.

Breakfast Club is taking leaps and

bounds with numbers at capacity on

a regular basis, proving that there is a

COUNTDOWN

strong need for Before School Care for

families starting work early or have class

to get to without any fuss. Ensuring that

our children have a good start to the day,

allows them to engage and be active,

whilst sustaining their energy levels.

It's so great to be able to welcome

new and returning families to our

programmes, whether it be on a casual

or regular basis. We're looking forward

to the exciting adventures we have

planned for 2017.

On behalf of all the staff of our fabulous

OSCAR programme, we would like to

thank you all for watching us grow to a

strong supportive team and supporting

our programmes throughout the year.

We would like to wish you, your whanau

and friends a relaxing and festive

Christmas, bringing you lots of love,

laughter and good times, wishing you

all the best for 2017 and beyond.

OSCAR MAKES CHANGES

ARE YOU OVER 17 YEARS OF AGE?

DO YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN?

DO YOU HOLD A FULL DRIVERS LICENCE?

AND ARE LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF FUN?

YMCA OSCAR are looking for talented, hard working people with a desire to

work with children aged 5-13 years.

If this sounds like you or you know of someone who fits the role, please pop in and

grab a job application pack or email Max our OSCAR Manager at

[email protected] for more details.


STAFF WANTED

EXCITING TIMES AHEADIt has been a busy month for our

OSCAR programme with our

numbers in the afternoon increasing

which is fabulous and I have the

pleasure of introducing you all to

our newest staff member Jurnee

Montgomery.

Jurnee has only been working in our

programme for a month , with the

Nippers age group, enjoying her new

role and the children are enjoying

having Jurnee as part of our team.

We have been fortunate to also have

as part of our team Anushka who

is the cook at Y Arataha Childcare

Centre. Anushka provides afternoon

tea on a daily basis for all the children

in our programme.

Due to low numbers in our Active

Learning programme and numbers

increasing with our Nippers, Juniors

and Seniors, the Active Learning

programme is no longer operating.

I am in the process of recruiting

new staff in-particular for our

Holiday Programme. The Holiday

Programme is now complete,

registrations can be downloaded

via our website or collected at

Customer Services. We are

all looking forward to our exciting

holiday programme.

The warmer weather has allowed

the staff to take the children to

Gisborne Intermediate to play in the

playground and to the Netball courts

in the afternoon to ride their scooters

and their bikes.

I was fortunate to attend the

Conference in Auckland on the 17th

and 18th of November.

It was great to meet other YMCA

OSCAR Managers as well as ECE

staff and Youth Workers across New

Zealand. We had a Masquerade

Ball with the Youth Orchestra as

entertainment which was fabulous.

As we are nearing the end of the

year all parents will need to re-enrol

your children for next year OSCAR

Programme. These can be done at

Customer Services or downloaded

from our website.

Finally a big thank you to the OSCAR

Team for all the hard work you do

to ensure that we have positive

afternoons with the children.

Max Haraki


YOU MAY REMEMBER OUR FITNESS CENTRE WAS NOMINATED IN TWO

CATEGORIES AT THE 2016 NEW ZEALAND EXERCISE INDUSTRY AWARDS.

Great news everyone, we did it!

We brought home the award for Recipient of the Community Excellence Award and

we celebrated in style with all the other lucky nominees at the awards dinner.

It is a great honour to receive this award on behalf of the YMCA Fitness Centre and

are very proud to share our win with you all.

You can check out the award in the Fitness Centre and have a chat to the team

about their experience at the FitEx expo and training weekend.

FITNESS WINS AWARD!

WOW is the first thought that pops

into my head when i think about the

weekend I have just experienced.

Three days of learning, growing, and

sharing with some of the most for-

ward thinking fitness professionals

on the planet.

I was lucky enough to personally

hear and experience lectures deliv-

ered from Kiwi's, Ozzy's, American's

and an ex Pom.

The range of topics included group

exercise, business, Personal Training

and body movements and all I can

say on the lectures I managed to get

to is MIND BLOWN.

On the first day, we were lucky

enough to attend a full day lecture

with only 5 other participants in it.

To say we got some pretty hands on

information from one of the greatest

health and fitness minds I have ever

had the pleasure of meeting would be

an understatement in the highest de-

gree.

I am very glad that my seminar was

so awesome because if it hadn't been

to such a high standard, I would have

been totally jealous of my colleague

who got to attend a seminar with 80

plus other lucky people again delivered

by some of the finest business minds in

the industry.

So by the end of day one my mind was

totally blown away and I was super

excited about what we would be privy

to and what we would experience over

the following 2 days. We were not dis-

appointed!

Day two saw our day start with a key-

note lecture delivered by an amazing

lady who has had a big hand in shap-

ing the fitness industry as we know it.

Through her lecture we managed to

gain a good understanding around

the power of positive connections.

The rest of the day we attended a vari-

ety of practical and theoretical semi-

nars again filled with mind blowing

information.

Day two's evening saw us attending

the Exercise Industry awards where

we were nominated in 2 categories.

We walked away with the Commu-

FITEX- AN INSTRUCTOR'S EYE VIEW

WOW where do I start?

Fitex has been one of the highlights of the year for me with information overload.

I recommend to anyone in the fitness industry that if they get the opportunity to

attend it will be well worth your while.

You will not be disappointed with inspirational speakers, great company, awesome

networking with other trainers.

So much valuable information and training tips to bring back and put into play in

our AWESOME Fitness Centre.

All I can say is I can't wait until next year BRING ON FITEX 2017! Gerald.


GERALD LOVES FITEX!!

nity Excellence Award and narrowly

missed out on the Medium Sized Exer-

cise Facility Award to the YMCA Auck-

land.

With the amazing crew we have at the

YMCA Gisborne, that award is defi-

nitely ours next year.

Day three was a bit of a slow day after

celebrating with the YMCA Auckland

crew, but luckily the amazing present-

ers at the expo managed to carry on

delivering exceptional information,

which made the day fly by.

If the expo had been 5 days it still

wouldn't have been long enough in my

opinion.

I would like to say a big thank you to

the YMCA for allowing us the opportu-

nity to mix with some of the greats in

the industry and I am sure all the cli-

ents at the Y will thank you too when

they are reaping the benefits of our

new knowledge.

Brian Horwell

Light Bulb moments would describe

my time at FitEx.

The lecturers were amazing and the in-

formation that was shared reaffirmed

that we are on the right track in the Y

Fitness Centre.

It was great to rub shoulders with in-

spired fitness professionals with a

wealth of experience and knowledge,

who were just as crazy about health

and fitness as well as we are.

My time there also rekindled the fire to

learn more, to enable me to help peo-

ple more on their fitness journeys.

I'm super excited to share more with

our Y Fitness Tribe and having Janene,

Gerald and Brian at FitEx means we

can bounce ideas, share inspirations

and collaborate together to make our Y

Fitness centre experience even better.

Renae Lolahea

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

This isn't just another cliché fitness story.

It is the story of how the YMCA helped heal and shape

me into the strong, healthy and happy woman I am

today

It's funny how society seems to highlight those extreme

gym transformation stories of people that go from a

size 20 to a size 6.

Don't get me wrong, my hat goes off to the people in

those stories and I am incredibly inspired by their

dedication and hard work, however I think gaining

weight in order to get a healthy body is just as


When I was 14, I developed an

eating disorder which was the start

of not only a physical downward

spiral, but also a mental one.

FAD diets and under nourishing my

precious body meant that I reached

a shocking weight of 40kgs and fell

well under the healthy BMI range.

I was in a dark place, a hole that I

thought I would never be able to

climb out of.

As part of my recovery I was sent

to the YMCA gym to rebuild my

weak and frail body with resistance

training.

I vividly remember the first day

I walked into the gym- I was

intimidated, anxious and had

absolutely no confidence in myself

whatsoever.

STRUGGLE STREET

Little did I know that the decision to

walk into the YMCA on this day would

be a decision that would change my

life in so many ways!

I was given a programme and taken

through it by Steve (whom now is one

of my best friends).

I remember looking around thinking

that I was very much out of my comfort

zone; I remember I was literally lifting

3 kg weights and was STRUGGLING.

I was so weak and had no idea how I

was going to get through the next few

months of recovery.

After all, this wasn’t just about

recovering physically, but also

recovering mentally.

After a few weeks of getting to know

the trainers and the YMCA staff, I

soon learnt that they were 150% there

to direct and guide you in every way

possible.

The support I was given was

phenomenal! Monthly BCA’s,

nutrition tips, assistance with my

programme, and even an ear to listen

when I found myself overwhelmed

with emotions meant that I was able

to push on.

Over the next few months of

attending the YMCA my confidence

grew in leaps and bounds.

I gained over 10 kg and finally

reached a healthy BMI range! I was

stronger, fitter, happier, and most

importantly

I had my confidence back.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

It was evident by listening to them

that they too had turned to the YMCA

to reach some sort of goal- whether it

was to lose weight, gain weight, grow

confidence, step out of their comfort

zone, or gain new friendships, the

YMCA staff had been there 150% of the

way.

To sum up my journey with the YMCA

I will leave you with this quote to

think about. "Your body achieves what

the mind believes". Stay strong, stay

focused and push on!

Janene saw the passion I had for fitness

and asked me if I would like to take RPM

Spin classes for the YMCA which I said

yes too.

This was a perfect opportunity to give

back to a place that had helped me in so

many ways, and an opportunity to help

others reach their fitness goals.

Over my time taking RPM classes I

developed friendships with many of the

members, learning all about each and

everyone's unique story.


December saw Les Mills New Release weekend go off with a big

blast!

A full morning of high energy and fun was had by all in

Saturday's series of classes including; Grit Strength, Bodystep,

Bodyattack, Bodycombat, CX Worx, Sh'Bam and rounding out

the day with a Body Balance class.

It was a great opportunity for those who had never experienced

a Les Mills class to try one, get involved and possibly find their

new love of exercise and movement.

8:15am

9:00am

9:15am

9:30am

9:45am

LAUNCHSaturday 3rd December

Les Mills New Release

ELLA GAINS CONFIDENCE

NEW RELEASE LAUNCH

The YMCA soon became my happy

place, a place where I could escape

my worries and focus my energy on

something that would make me feel

good.

It also soon became my form of

employment as I was offered a job in

the YMCA OSCAR programme and

became a part of the wonderful YMCA

team.

Through this employment I established

lifelong relationships with people

that had seen me at one of the most

vulnerable times of my life, people who

had been right by my side during my

recovery process and had been there

to help me heal.

Through training, I soon discovered

a love for RPM Spin classes and

developed a friendship with our

wonderful Fitness Manager Janene.


YAY OUR SIGN HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!

Check out Y Arataha's new look sign on the front of our Centre.

It's been in the pipeline and we are so excited to see it up and taking pride of place

over the front entrance of the building.

In the New Year we are looking forward to the rest of our signage being installed,

with road front and entrance signs being erected.

We are no longer the big grey building with no name, we have officailly hit the map

and can't wait to hear your feedback on the changes.

NEW LOOK SIGN

Y ARATAHA GETS BUSYWOW didn't we do well at the latest Turanganui a kiwa Kapa Haka festival.

Well done to our tamariki, whanau and kaiako for an awesome job. The children

came back to the centre so full of excitement.

This month we are teaming up with Y Tamariki to assist Kapai Kaiti with the Marakai

on the corner of Wainui and Craig Road, here our tamariki will be doing regular

walks up to the garden to water and plant their own special plot. It's important to

be able to support community projects and having this one right on our doorstep

we are able to make regular visits to assist and maintain the Marakai.

Also this month our koka Rach and koka Maria have been taking our tamariki

to visit koka Jess at Kaiti Kindergarten to say 'Hi' and to start establishing a

relationship with the tamariki and kaiako at the Kaiti Kindergarten.

A big well done to our kaiako who have been extremely busy with loads of

activities including gardening, water play, walks in the community and using

our senses in different ways, with the warmer weather it's great to be in our

outside environment enjoying the summer and ensuring our tamariki are

following our Sun Smart policy.

Y Arataha are offering casual bookings over the Christmas break for those who

may need care for a few days or maybe a few hours, so pop in and see the team on

Wainui Road or call them on 867 2393.


First I am dried, then am wet, the longer I swim, the more taste you get.

What am I?

Tea.

Why wa the broom late?

It overswept.

What did the tree wear to the pool?

Swim trunks!

How do you fix a jack-o-lantern?

With a pumpin patch.

What do you call a bear with no teeth?

A gummy bear.

FUNNY OR NOT?

As we wind down to Christmas time

we reflect on the year that has been.

During the year Y Kids celebrated

it's 10th birthday- a true milestone

for the YMCA.

We have implemented swimming

lessons which have had some pretty

awesome trips including those to

the Museum of Technology, Capital

E Theatre Production and Gray's

Bush.

The latest event was of course the

Turanganui a kiwa cultural festival

where we had 28 of our tamariki

from Y Kids do us proud performing

as part of the YMCA.

We received the Healthy Heart

Award from the Heart Foundation

for our commitment to healthy

eating and moving our bodies.

During the year we have fare welled

some amazing staff members; who

will be missed as well as welcoming

some fresh new faces to the team.

Y Kids won 1st place in the local garden

competition and we are proud to share

our win with you.

All in all we are proud of the things that

Y Kids staff, tamariki and whanau have

WHAT A YEAR FOR Y KIDSachieved this year and look forward to

returning after Christmas break well

rested and ready to rock and roll for

2017.

On behalf of all the Y Kids team we

wish you a very Merry Christmas;

filled with love, laughter and cheer.


AMAZING NEW SIGNAGE HAS BEEN INSTALLED

I spy with my little eye something that tells you who we are!

We have been waiting patiently and now we have the first stages of our building

signage up and taking pride of place on our Y Tamariki Centre.

This is the first of two gable signs and we have another going on the road facing

gable along with roadside signage in early 2017.

It's great to have a name on the building and let everyone know who we are and

what we do.

WATCH OUT FOR THE REST OF THE SIGNS COMING EARLY 2017.

EYE SPY!

Having entered Y Tamariki in the

local garden competition with the

amazing support of 'Squeak' our

gardener extraordinare, the centre

had the priviledge of coming in

second place with Prize giving being

held Thursday 7th of December.

We have a group of teachers and

children who will be attending the

event to receive their well earnt

prize. Well done everyone.

WHAT'S NEW AT Y TAMARIKI?Whilst one group are out and about

receiving our second place prize,

another group of children and

teachers will be walking down to the

Kaiti Maara Kai garden to harvest the

veges they planted in October.

We can use these veges in lunch prep

and we will get to taste the fruits of

our labour.

Kapa Haka festival is now at its

completion, you can check out

all our tamariki participating on

our wall in the centre and on our

Facebook page YMCA GISBORNE Y

Tamariki.

You may also want to pop in and

have a look at our table in our kai

room, which were kindly painted

by Simon Lardelli, with the staff

putting protective film over the top

to conserve their longevity.

CARING • RESPECT • RESPONSIBILITY • HONESTY • WHAKAWHANAUNGATANGA • OPEN

COMMUNICATION

What a great year it's been for

the developing a partnership

between DOC and the YMCA!

Our work together to support

the OSCAR supervisors to

include more conservation and

environmental education resources

in the afterschool and holiday

programmes has gone from

strength to strength.

We kicked off the year working

along side GDC and Ngati

Oneone in the Titirangi(Kaiti Hill

restoration) something the kids will

be able to keep an eye on in years

to come.

Over the rest of the year, in addition

to learning more about our region's

precious native species and the

threrats they face, the OSCAR

programme has been able to

connect with a range of our region's

unique landscapes, such as Te

Wherowhero lagoon.

A real highlight of the year for me

has been our project with YMCA

Alternative Eduction in which DOC

and Nga Whenua Rahui staff worked

alongside Cam, Otara and the boys to

monitor and trap predators in Donner's

Bush Scenic Reserve, this enabled Alt

THE YMCA PARTNERS WITH DOCEd to play a vital role in the bigger

picture of restoring the Waimata

River, and meet the horticulture and

rural studies students from EIT who

are also working on this project.

Here at DOC Gisborne we are looking

forward to continuing to support the

YMCA in 2017 and already have some

good ideas lined up for the summer

holidays and term 1.

In the meantime, if you are looking

to spend some time with your kids

and whanau in the great outdoors

this summer, I recommend checking

out www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/

conservation-activies/

I truly am pleased to be able to say

YMCA and DOC support strong

healthy kids to connect with our

nature.

Charles Barrie

Supervisor- Community Engagement,

MONITORING PREDITOR AND PEST CONTROL WITH DOC HAS BEEN A HIT!

This month Alternative Education teamed up with DOC to be involved in

monitoring and managing pest control at Donner's Bush up Riverside Road.

Charles Barries and staff from Nga Whenua Rahui worked with Alternative

Education students to laying bait stations, monitoring tunnels and traps both low

lying and tree hung.

The boys enjoyed visiting the site each week checking the tunnels and traps,

resetting and plucking any possums that got caught.

ALT ED GOES BUSH

06 867 9259www.ymcagisborne.org.nz

Summer Wraps


6 Freya's spinach and feta or capsicum wrapsMixed lettuce leaf salad of your choice1/2 red pepper dicedFeta cheese crumbled4 tablespoons tomato relish2 tomatoes sliced1 avocado sliced 1 smoked chicken broken into pieces6 rashers of bacon cooked and cooled

Method

Lay out wraps and spread with tomatoe relish.Place mixed salad, diced pepper and avocado on wrap.Sprinkle crumbled feta on each wrap, followed by avocado and tomato.Season with pepper to your taste.Place smoked chicken pieces on each wrap along with a rasher of bacon.Fold wrap starting at the bottom first, wrapping the sides around the front and secure with a piece of cooking string around the body of the wrap.

Breakfast Smoothie1 cup Meadow Fresh Calci Trim milk1 cup Naturalea Yoghurt1 Tablespoon honey1 banana1 cup frozen berries1 cup of fresh fruit ( pineapple, apple,strawberries, mango)1/4 cup rolled oats1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

So simple, so fast and so yummy!

(Recipe courtesy of Lisa Hansen)

Documents

FESTIVE SEASON IS SO CLOSEymcagisborne.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DECEMBER...December 2016 FESTIVE SEASON IS SO CLOSE Christmas is nearly upon us and as we relect on the past