R13 Youth Development Trust

R13 Youth Development Trust (R13) is a community based, non-government organisation which provides a range of free services to support and improve the quality of life of at-risk youth and youth offenders and their whānau/family in the wider North Canterbury region.

Our range of well-established programmes support young people with complex challenges, including mental health issues, disengagement from mainstream education, family violence, and trouble with the law. While working with us, at-risk youth gain personal development and life skills, learn how to set goals and discover their purpose, improve their well-being, develop resilience and confidence, and be supported to reach their fullest potential.

The age of the tamariki and rangatahi we help is getting younger so early intervention is key. R13’s mentors, youth workers and counsellors support young people aged 12–20 years to address their mental wellbeing, and challenges such as social anxiety, anger, drug, alcohol and addiction issues. We also help those who are ready to leave, or have already left the school system, to set personal goals, create an action plan, learn life skills, and build confidence and resilience as they work towards a more positive life-path, including further training or employment.

As well as providing a wrap-around youth mentoring and well-being service, R13 Youth Development Trust coordinates restorative justice for referred youth offenders, who complete their Community Service with us clearing rubbish from local waterways. We also run a Family Harm Programme, with a focus on prevention, intervention and support for families impacted by violence against parents and caregivers, an increasingly complex and common societal issue.

Our programmes positively influence the lives of the young people and whānau we work with by eliminating the barriers to opportunity and helping them to reach their fullest potential through the power of partnership. We operate on a true community-based model delivering services direct to our community, with humanity, relatability, and availability.

Operating from our resource centre in Kaiapoi, R13 Youth Development Trust has supported young people and their whānau/family in North Canterbury since 2009. Our flexibility and grassroots links to the community, and other key agencies and organisations in the wider North Canterbury region, allow us to quickly respond to the needs and demands of our most vulnerable young people.

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