A Coffee with Garth – Community Roadshows
Expanding Emotional Wellness throughout New Zealand communities.
A Coffee with Garth – Community Roadshows is Garth's way to expand Emotional Wellness throughout New Zealand communities, designed to be led by communities, for communities, at a ground‑roots level, because people within a community are in touch first‑hand with the strengths and challenges of their own community. This approach ensures communities build lasting, self‑managed, and community‑owned emotional capability, confidence, and long‑term emotional wellness and resilience, not just a one‑off experience.
Who the Roadshows Prioritise
Even though Garth's goal is to visit all regions across New Zealand, priority is given to communities that would benefit most, including:
- Communities recovering from crisis such as natural disasters
- High risk or vulnerable communities experiencing economic hardship or industry decline
- Smaller or remote communities who may not normally have access to this type of training
- Communities ready to embrace emotional wellness and recognise the value of building emotional capability locally
Community Emotional Wellness Pathways
Communities can choose from several pathways depending on their needs. Each pathway has two parts:
- Which Emotional Wellness option
- Who will attend
Emotional Wellness Options
Communities can select from Garth's Emotional Wellness courses, with the recommended options being:
- Emotional Wellness Leads Course – for communities choosing to roll out the Digital Emotional Wellness Platform, supporting the integration of the digital platform into the community by developing local Emotional Wellness Champions who can guide and sustain its use.
- 2 Day Emotional Wellness Course – builds emotional capability, confidence, and practical skills while developing local Emotional Wellness Champions or individuals within the community.
Who Attends
Participants may come from a cross section of the community such as community groups or services, schools (including staff and youth leaders), churches, aged care, healthcare, social services, NGOs, and business associations. They may also come from an individual group, service, or business.
This flexibility allows communities to tailor the initiative to their structure, needs, and goals.
Developing Community Emotional Wellness Champions
Garth recommends having representatives from different areas of the community attend. These individuals become Community Emotional Wellness Champions who can support emotional wellness within their own groups, workplaces, or networks. Even when a single organisation participates, champions still emerge within that environment.
The Community Lead
If the pathway is for a cross section from the community, there needs to be a nominated Community Lead. However, there still needs to be a Lead person for an individual group, service, or business. The Community Lead manages the initiative locally. This role is valuable because they know the community, understand the local strengths and challenges, and are trusted by community members. Ideally, the Community Lead is nominated by a local group such as a business association and attends the course themselves.
Key responsibilities may include:
- Liaising with Garth, funders, and community groups
- Co-ordinating logistics such as venue, dates, and catering
- Managing registrations and communication
- Supporting Community Emotional Wellness Champions after the course
- Reporting outcomes to funders and the wider community
- Keeping the initiative alive, visible, and celebrated
Investment for the Community Emotional Wellness Initiative
The price of delivering a Community Emotional Wellness initiative varies depending on factors such as the pathway chosen, the number of participants, and the location. The best next step is to contact Garth with your community's needs so he can work with you to shape the right approach, as he is keen and supportive to make it happen.
Funding the Initiative
Garth would ideally like the initiative to be offered at no cost to the community by securing funding or sponsorship. In the meantime, funding can be obtained directly by communities through grants, charities, donations, community groups, community fundraising activities, or support from local businesses and larger national business chains operating in the area. The initiative can be fully subsidised or partially subsidised, with participants contributing an amount to support commitment and engagement. All payments are made prior to the course and managed by the Community Lead.
Next Step
If you are interested in supporting the emotional wellness of your community, or if you are open to funding or sponsoring this valuable initiative, please contact Garth.