Rotary Whakatane West hears about the way through drugs

William spoke of the life changing experience of ManUp. A local boy from Ruatoki, he had a father with lots of issues and this left William open to drug, alcohol and physical abuse.

 

From the age of 16 to 30 William was heavily addicted to alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and other drug cocktails. When he returned from Australia about five years ago he was still an addict. Once he joined Destiny Church he encountered a different way of life and changed from the inside out. It also meant meeting and marrying Tiffany. ManUp enables people to identify underlying factors that lead to addiction. Fatherless children or fathers not involved in raising their offspring means children cannot be raised appropriately. ManUp has developed a programme to help men face their issues of addiction, anger and suicidal thoughts and what it is to become a good member of society. There are policemen, drug dealers and gang members who have been scarred by life on the programme and there have been dramatic positive changes, such as some gang members handing in their patches. William has now been alcohol and drug-free for three years and feels privileged to be able to talk to our club. He is confident now when previously he would not have been able to speak up.

 

ManUp is faith-based and run by Destiny Church but not aimed to boost church numbers. The church believes that every man can be helped and every family has a right to a good, responsible father. Children who lack leadership and positive role models are bound to have problems. These issues impact directly on the wider community: the big picture is that if you change the man then you change his children and society for the better. There are now over 70 programmes running in New Zealand and Brisbane Australia. Confidentiality is a priority. The programme is run weekly, has transformed a lot of lives and was an eye opener for William: he is now able to face his issues, express them and help others. By not opening up about problems men can become raging bulls on a path to destruction or suicide. Statistically New Zealand has one of the highest rates of suicide especially among Maori men, who lack role models. But Maori figures are now declining with European suicides increasing.

 

 Tiffany spoke of being addicted to alcohol until she reached a point in her life where she wanted to change and sought an alternative healthy lifestyle. Ian got her into RYLA and she realised how much was out there besides alcohol.  She connected with a lady running a group at Destiny Church and she currently helps out in the community in any way she can. Legacy is a women’s empowerment program, new to Whakatane with 5 programmes now up and running for the past two weeks, plus one in Opotiki and one in Kawerau. Meetings are held once a week and the aim is to instill self-belief and positive choices in women, which in turn will have an affirmative impact on the community and social problems. “Find a need and fill it/ Find a hurt and heal it” is the mantra. Facilitators are not psychologists but people who have battled problems themselves and have been training for the last six months. They believe survivors are best adapted to helping others. ManUP and Legacy are connected. Women are more open to acknowledging that their families need help. Both programmes are passionate about making a difference.

 

The amount of questions asked was testament to how well the William and Tiffany spoke with their dedication very evident.