An empty puku, an open mind and some gold coins are all things to bring along to the I Am Hope ‘Gumboot Friday' event at Mauao next Friday, November 4.

The event is set to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health, with a range of activities organised in part with Te Tuinga Whānau to take place at Mount Maunganui main beach from 12pm-4pm.

Te Tuinga Whānau chief imagination officer Tommy ‘Kapai' Wilson believes now is a critical time for the mental health of New Zealand's youth.

'We see kids venting their frustrations in all sorts of ways. Violence, addiction, ram raiding and also taking their own life,” says Tommy.

Feel connected

'We need to be able to understand why this is happening, and what we are going to do as a community. We can't just leave it to the hospitals and the Police. The biggest thing these kids need is to know they are not flying alone, and for them to feel reconnected.”

Tommy adds it is important for the community to 'get involved” with events such as Gumboot Friday – because it helps organisations like Te Tuinga Whānau and I Am Hope to offer support to get disconnected youth reconnected with their community.

'People can also head down to Number One Shoes to pick up a pair of the ‘I Am Hope Gumboot Friday' Gumboots, where every pair sold will contribute $10 to mental health support.”

According to Tommy, next Friday's activities planned include mini golf on the beach, a sausage sizzle and a Mount Maunganui gumboot run.

'It's a really important cause. As founder of I Am Hope, Mike King would say bulimia and eating habits are the number one cause of suicide for young girls.

Young men

'The other area we want to start looking at here is young men. Men don't talk about their problems. We need to provide a safe environment for men to talk,” says Tommy.

Tauranga has the first I Am Hope ‘satellite' according to Tommy, which he says involves a councillor working out of the Te Tuinga Whānau building providing free mental health support to rangatahi (youth).

'This happened because there was a need. When Mike King and I went to Tauranga Boys' College there was 22 kids who said they had considered taking their lives.

'We thought we needed a place for those boys to go to talk about it, which is why with the help of Sir Paul Adams, we have been able to open up this space for them to talk.”

Support the cause

To support the mental health of youth in Tauranga and across the country, visit the Mount Maunganui main beach between 12pm and 4pm next Friday, November 4. Or buy a pair of the ‘I Am Hope Gumboot Friday' Gumboots at Number One Shoes.