Talitha is one of the many parents supported by Odyssey’s Family Centre. Having her young children with her was a personal joy and also motivated her to get the most of the programmes and support Odyssey offers.

E Ara E is Odyssey’s service that supports 18-24 year olds with mental health or substance use challenges to get into work or study. The team works alongside tāngata whai ora to address the barriers that are getting in the way of employment or study, as well as helping them to work towards their goals. This story shares the success of Mark, who found work in December last year.

Dave, Odyssey's Lived Experience Lead, talks about growing up and searching for a male role-model, having trouble at school, and being labelled and defined by the system. Dave talks about a lifestyle of drug use and criminal activity, which led to incarceration. Dave found peace, humility, purpose, and a calling to peer support, after a chance encounter with an old friend.

Diwali draws near and is celebrated on Monday 24 October this year. We have asked Operations Manager, Supriya Maharaj, Training Manager, Anushka Ananth, and Intern Psychologist Sunaina Roy to share their thoughts about the festival. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs and symbolises light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

Youth INtact’s cultural support worker Melody Nepe is supporting young women at Huntly College, Waikato, to develop personal skills and resources based in Mana Wāhine practice. Find out more about the College’s Te Rangimarie girls’ reference group and Melody’s work at Youth INtact….

Te Ara Oranga (The Path to Wellbeing) is a methamphetamine harm reduction partnership in Te Tai Tokerau. Odyssey has been involved in the programme since it was established in October 2017, supporting over 500 people to access services to reduce methamphetamine harms.

Josh accessed Odyssey’s services within the Te Ara Oranga programme and shares his story here