Philip | Ōtara
“I was brought up in West Auckland in my teenage years, but I moved out here last year, and I just fell in love with the place.
Love the community, I love the people, just being amongst Samoans, Tongan, other Pacific island people. So really cool.
I think for me, loneliness is – oh it is a big question. I think it happens everywhere, eh? People, old people, whatever age, so for me, loneliness is something that I see has a positive and negative side. When I’m alone and loneliness is kind of reflective time – I can reflect on the things that I’ve done in the past, and also the ways that you can better in the future. Like, you know one negative, sometimes you get side-tracked with loneliness and it becomes like some action that you’ve done in the past, and that causes you to think and reflect, and they keep going on and on about it and it becomes like a habit that a lot of people seem to over commit to it, and then that’s how I think it cause a lot of depressions but yeah, that’s my input.
For me, when I go through that stage, quickly try and get out of it. I try and connect with friends within the community as you see in, in here in Ōtara. That’s what I love about Ōtara as well, like you know, you go around Ōtara or Māngere or South people and you go connect with them, and they will sit down and have a conversation with you, and they’ll ask where you’re from, and that makes me really connect to the community, connects back to my roots and and it gives me a sense of belonging.
I study bachelor of health and safety development at Unitec. Major in youth development. I’ve come across a lot of young people that tend to have, you know, in that stage of loneliness, and it’s part of my job, developing as a youth worker, I tend to try and help them out and like make them feel happy. I like to make them to feel connected to the environment and to society, and that. I’m pretty sure that’s one thing that will hold them back, but there’s plenty out there to enjoy.
So I came from Samoa in 2009, and I see a lot of things in New Zealand, a lot of changes, a lot of opportunities. So I tend to, like you know, have the mindset of like, you know, I can do anything, and I got myself into a lot of trouble within that. I got involved with gangs. You name it all. Like, you know, jump through the window, ceilings and that, and the only thing that was lacking back then was lack of support. Someone that was supposed to be thereto help me through these stuff, but nobody was there, and as I grow up and that, I start seeing the world a little bit different, and I see both directions and I chose to actually provide support for the young people, and I believe that young people were made to succeed. We were made to go beyond the limits that we have here in New Zealand. Whatever that dream I believe they can achieve it if they put their heart and their focus in. My drive is young people. When I see a young person, it gives me a, a sense of happiness, because I see my younger self.”
