YOUTH ZONE
If you’re looking for the inside information on what it’s like for young people within Odyssey’s programmes, you’ve come to the right place.
We offer several different options for young people to access our services. Depending on your needs, you can live in one of our residential facilities.
Or, if your school is signed up for one of our school-based programmes, you can take part in those too.
Here’s some more detail about each of our programmes for youth.
Youth Services Residential Programme
We have a residential treatment programme for youth from 14 to 17 years old who have a problem with alcohol and/or drugs, including young people with mental health, care and protection or youth justice needs.
Our residence provides a structured environment where young people develop resiliency, learn how to make positive choices and take responsibility for themselves and others. They learn life skills and social skills and receive treatment that fits their individual needs. This includes therapeutic group work, individual work and support from appropriate outside agencies and services.
Education is an important part of treatment and the young people living with us attend the Odyssey House School. Through individuaI learning plans, young people are able to make progress quickly and achieve NCEA credits in core subjects: literacy, numeracy and IT.
Recreation is another important part of the programme and our youth residents do lots of sports and fitness. They also get involved in adventure and sporting activities like rock climbing, horse riding, kayaking and tramping.
Odyssey House encourages family members to be actively involved at all stages of the treatment process. Opportunities to do this include visiting the house and home visits for the young people, community dinners and a forum for families to provide feedback and suggestions to us about the service we provide. We also provide family work, individually and in groups, and keep family involved in the planning and reviewing of treatment where we discuss the young person's progress.
When young people leave our residence they are making fresh choices and have a plan for their future. To support them, we have an Aftercare team who help them connect with positive peers and make positive decisions, providing individual, peer support and family support.
School-based programmes
Odyssey currently runs two school-based programmes – called Stand up! and Amplify! – in a number of schools in the south, west, and north of Auckland in partnership with Counties Manukau and Waitemata DHBs.
Both programmes work along the same lines to support young people whose lives have been influenced by alcohol and other drugs.
Our Youth Practitioners use creative, youth-friendly techniques like songwriting, dance, and txt messaging to help each young person reach their potential and their goals. We mostly work with groups of young people, but also work one-on-one, with your peers, and with your families, depending on what’s needed.
Odyssey House School
We run our own school to provide education for young people participating in our programmes. It’s NZQA accredited, registered with the Ministry of Education, and employs fully qualified teachers.
We believe education is as important to your recovery as any other part of your treatment. So we offer a full curriculum designed to encourage the enjoyment of learning while gaining credits towards NCEA in Maths, English, Business Studies, Communication Skills, and IT.
