Stronger Together

The Advocacy Group here in South Canterbury has just celebrated its 7th Birthday and is going stronger than ever! Ruth Swale formed the group in 2015 as part of her Social Justice Advocacy role with Anglican Care. Ruth is based in Timaru, and the team includes volunteer advocates in Timaru, Waimate, Temuka, Pleasant Point, Geraldine and Fairlie.

“Our faith provides a vital dimension to all our work, demonstrating God’s love for people who are often struggling on the margins of society.” Ruth Swale

2022 has seen a number of new developments locally. In February, Advocacy and Community Law Canterbury collaborated to bring Community Law clinics to Timaru— but in a new way. The free legal expertise of community lawyers via Zoom and Ruth’s knowledge of local services combine to give clients a comprehensive service.

Ruth has also recently trained in restorative justice, working for Safer Mid-Canterbury in Timaru. She is now engaged in on–the–job training and is on the pathway to becoming an accredited restorative justice facilitator.

Both these initiatives have brought in fresh energy, making their advocacy more robust and better able to meet diverse needs in their community.

“We are always seeking to extend the scope of advocacy and to become even more flexible and client-centred”, says Ruth.

“Our faith provides a vital dimension to all our work, demonstrating God’s love for people who are often struggling on the margins of society. Social justice also underpins everything we do and ensures that we are always working with people rather than doing something for them”, she says.

Another important focus for the group is intentionally walking a bicultural path. In both their advocacy and justice work they are striving to bring together the best of Pākehā and Māori approaches in the way they provide their services, helping to ensure cultural safety for their clients. Part of this journey is learning the holistic values of Te Ao Māori, as illustrated in the following whakatauki: Ruth explains how this all works. Advocates don’t act as spokespeople— their aim is to make space for the client’s voice to be heard. Often people they work with have become disconnected from family and whanau and other support networks through stressful circumstances in their lives. Part of the advocate’s role is to encourage them to reconnect with those significant people, and to fully engage in activities in their communities again. When someone feels like they can’t cope, the advocates “lend them some of our strength to help them take their first step”. The advocates encourage their clients to reclaim their own voice and to tackle the next challenge themselves. They can remain available in the background in case the client wants to debrief with them later. ‘Stronger together’ speaks of a partnership that is really working for advocacy in South Canterbury!

Advocacy in action Credit: supplied

Ko koe ki tēna, ko ahau ki tēnei kīwai o te kete. You at that handle, and I at this handle of the basket. For more information on Advocacy in South Canterbury, contact: Ruth Swale, Social Justice Advocate c: 021 134 0307 e: advocacy@anglicancare.org.nz F: www.facebook.com/ advocatesouthcanty