Jasmine Hope
Kia ora koutou!
Ko Jasmine toku ingoa. I grew up in Manurewa and moved east in my teenage years. My father is Māori and grew up in Glen Innes, on my mum's side I whakapapa to Yugoslavia, Norway, England and Scotland. Currently I work with Rākau Tautoko as a mentor and leader for the Phenomenal Young Women youth group in Tāmaki. A fun fact about me is that I am very spiritual and believe in the connectedness of all that exists. I am also very creative and enjoy mindful colouring, painting, tie dye and many other creative projects.
I was first introduced to HEART through the Women’s Koru Group. In this space I have met inspiring mana wahine from our community, created valued connections and had many meaningful conversations. I love how safe, seen and valued I feel whenever I’m in this space. From there I learned about the free training opportunities and began attending classes about everything from domestic violence to cognitive behavioural therapy, which equipped me with practical skills and knowledge I could apply to my life. I love how relevant and useful these trainings are, and that the community has a voice in deciding what trainings we do next. In May 2021 I was given the amazing gift of becoming a change agent.
Over lockdown I was invited to be part of the live kōrero sessions on the HEART Facebook page, where I spoke about my connection to our whenua. I cherish nature and it is very important to me that I do what I can to minimise my impact on Papatūānuku. I was also part of a kōrero about hinengaro, mental health, and later held a live guided meditation for the HEART kete sessions. Being given these opportunities made me feel both honoured and empowered.
Mental health and wellbeing is a prominent part of my life. In 2022 I am working toward my goal of becoming a peer support specialist and will be completing a certificate of health and wellbeing with a focus on mental health and addiction. HEART has supported my advocacy for mental health by granting me $2500 from the community action fund towards a community art exhibition about mental illness which will be taking place in April. I am sincerely grateful to the HEART Movement for supporting my mahi, embracing my kaupapa and encouraging me throughout.
One of the mana wahine I have learnt a lot from over the last few years is researcher Brene Brown. One of my favourite quotes from her book ‘Braving the Wilderness: The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone’ is this “True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are”.