Mission

‘Next Door’ is a community based initiative supported by the Young Neighbours Trust (an incorporated trust approved by the New Zealand Charities Commission). Next Door partners with local school communities to help support the education and development of young people in isolated rural parts of Aotearoa. Through developing authentic relationships with community leaders and young people, we aim to be responsive to the needs that exist in these communities and to address the barriers to education in the most locally appropriate and sustainable way.

The purpose of Next Door is twofold: 

01. Youth Development within Communities

Assisted by a robust selection process, young professionals and school leavers apply and are chosen to join a Next Door community or, if appropriate, to establish a new one. As the name implies ‘Next Door’ facilitates an opportunity for young professionals to serve their near neighbours in our own backyard of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

The impact of this relationship is twofold. Next Door community members have the opportunity to learn and grow in knowledge from the local community; they also in return offer their own professional and academic skills in educational and community support. They experience a wide range of opportunities assisting in roles inside and outside of the classroom, from reading support to outdoor education and holiday programmes, to specific sports training, to personal mentoring. Offering their own professional and academic skills for the benefit of the local community.

02. Educational Opportunities

Community elders have long expressed to us their desire for young people to have experiences outside of their own isolated communities. Next Door supports that intention by promoting connection and ongoing partnerships between the Partner Communities and some schools across New Zealand. Through the generosity of host schools and the Young Neighbours Trust, Next Door is able to provide financial assistance for secondary and eventually tertiary study for individuals promoted by the partner communities.

History

Next Door began in 2016. It grew out of the initiative of a small number of young people who have had significant and prolonged contact with some of the more isolated, rural communities in the central and far north of the North Island. This contact has involved frequent visits, living and working among the local people, learning from them in an almost totally cross-cultural environment, and forming relationships of mutual trust and respect. Next Door began with an invitation from Te Kura Toitu o Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi to capitalize on the relationships forged over the last six years.

Philosophy

Next Door is essentially about forming, building, maintaining and enhancing relationships with our near neighbours. These neighbours live in communities that have been radically affected by the social consequences of changes almost totally beyond their control. High unemployment, health concerns, limited educational opportunities, have all contributed to an isolation that is not only geographical, but also psychological and social. Next Door is not driven by any political theory or ideology. It simply sets out to form strong relationships that will last, and that will help to lessen the various types of isolation suffered by these communities. Next Door connects young people to young people, creating positive connectedness and promoting interdependence.