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Quick Connections: highlights from our event
Kia ora and welcome to the WRLG blog. We’re starting with a recent event we’re proud of.
On 20 September, we held Quick Connections at The BrainTree Wellness Centre for the second year running. The event gave disabled people and whānau who hire support workers a chance to meet jobseekers looking for support work.
Employers had tables set out around the room. Jobseekers moved from table to table, chatting with each employer to see who they connected with. We finished with afternoon tea, which was a lovely way to end the day.
The team behind it
Quick Connections began with Irene, one of our whānau reps, who came up with the idea. We ran it for the first time last year, learned a lot, and made changes for this year.
On the day, Lisa, our Whānau Coordinator, was our MC. Amy, our Disability Coordinator, ran the front desk with Ingrid, one of our disabled reps. Melanie, our Communications Coordinator, was on meet and greet and photography.
It was a great chance to work together on a project, both in the preparation and on the day.
It was wonderful to watch the conversations happen, and we received some really valuable feedback. Here is what some of our jobseekers and employers told us.
Jobseekers
“I never thought I wanted to do support work until today.”
“Had some great conversations and enjoyed talking to people from different cultures.”
“It was a really good experience. I just threw myself in there and then really enjoyed it.”
Employers
“I feel more confident with my interview skills. I feel more clear on what I do and don’t want in a support worker.”
“It was great, thanks so much for putting this on. I think I found someone, it feels like it was meant to be.”
Finding the right person to support you is about connection, and sometimes the best way to start is a kōrero face to face. Thank you to everyone who came along and got involved.
Would you like to see more events like this in Canterbury? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
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