Happy Pink Shirt Day New Zealand! Bullying and its effects on mental health is a big issue here in Aotearoa, so the Catalytic team turned up to our meeting in pink shirts today to show our support for kindness and inclusion.

On Friday 19 May 2023, Aotearoa is becoming a "sea of pink" as schools, workplaces and communities join the Pink Shirt Day movement.

By taking part, you're helping to stamp out bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusion.

The Catalytic Foundation, along with the DOW ALL-IN ERG Fund, have supported Xabilities and their founder Tamara Grant to work with neurodiverse people and their inclusion in the community and workplaces. Here's what Tamara had to share about bullying.

Bullying sucks! Being Neurodiverse, even as an adult, you find yourself receiving a fair share of bullying with some people not realising what they say is offensive. Some do it just out of fear that some people are not typical people, making them feel uncomfortable. I wonder if the people who bully me, do so out of the annoyance, as they have spent their whole life hiding and masking who they are and take it out on people who either can't hide it as well or don't want to.

Below are my personal rules on what is okay and not okay, as a Neurodiverse person. I find it is very easy to be bullied and find myself around the wrong people and not realising when I am being abused or mistreated. Due to being placed in these situations, I have come together with 4 personal rules, to keep myself safe socially.

1.) How to live above bullying and not let the words disempower me and ruin my day?

I see through the words, due to my social norms not being typical due to my autism. I set certain rules for myself to support my self-growth. When someone says something offensive and I can't help but respond by asking them, how can I do better? If they chose to respond I listen, and from a non-bias point of view, I gain insight into how this person sees me which allows me to continuously grow and improve ONLY IN MY OWN WAY OF COURSE. This strategy usually calms the other person down while sometimes letting you gain insight into yourself.

2.) How to know when it's not okay

If the person cannot give you details on why they said the offensive words, THIS IS NOT A YOU PROBLEM! They're speaking from their own insecurities and using you as a punching bag. There's nothing you can say that will make the situation better and it's best to walk away! Feeding into the problem in school, work or relationship violence or discrimination is just going to worsen the situation.

Imagine negativity as a greedy hippo, and food is your words, body language, your overall reaction, the more you feed the greedy hippo food the bigger and greedier the hippo will become. This is the same in an argument, conflict, fight, or any state of negative communication.

The more you feed the hippo or the person with your reaction, the bigger the problem will grow. It's unnecessary pressure and stress and it's best not to feed the situation and walk away while waiting for the situation to calm down on its own.

If you are in a state where it has got manic, violent or unsafe. (Feed the hippo some yummy food so you can walk away safely), sometimes in a place where you are unsafe, and you cannot get away, best to agree to whatever the other person is saying, so they will calm down and you can make a safe escape plan, (lying is never okay but if one's life or safety is at risk, this is a tactic that can work).

3.) How to not be the bully

Sometimes you may get the feeling that "they deserve it", or "I can't help myself". If I ever get these feelings I know it's from a place of lack of emotional awareness and that I am expressing insecurities. This will turn you from the victim of bullying to the bully, it's a good thing to be aware of.

4.) How to know when someone is trying to express their feelings, but it comes across as bullying?

Sometimes people yell, have a negative tone of voice, or ignore you. I see this as a sign they are having problems regulating their emotions. This is NOT A YOU PROBLEM! It is their own personal problem. In response to this, I can nicely ask them to change their behaviour as I do not like it. Sometimes they will respond nicely back to you and other times they will make excuses for them from hurting your feelings. No matter how big or small, feelings are feelings, and no one has a right to hurt them! If they are unable to change, again, this is NOT YOUR FAULT, and it is best to walk away and let them cool down. It is a choice to talk negatively to someone, and it is up to you whether you want to sit there and take it. If you do choose to sit there and take it, it is your choice what words give you power!

What do I mean by you have a choice in what words give you power? It takes time to train but in life, people say things that can be offensive, whether it's a stranger, or family and friends, it can happen anywhere. With time and being self-aware of what words are empowering you and disempowering you, with time you gain knowledge on what you want to download and what you choose to walk away from. Why does this take practice? Because in a state of unstable mental health, everything can feel like an attack, so choosing what words give you power, is a combination of not just knowing what disempowers and empowers you but also having a level of knowledge for the environment around, when someone is trying to help you grow by telling you things you may not want to know, and when someone is telling you things out of their own insecurities e.g. bullying you.

In summary, I use all these 4 stages at the same time, as I find they give balance towards self and environmental awareness, to protect myself from bullying and make sure I am not a bully myself.

Signed Tamara Grant Founder of Xabilities

For more information about neurodiversity and inclusion, visit www.xabilities.com.

We had an awesome day volunteering with the Pitney Bowes NZ team volunteering at Love Soup Hibiscus Coast Community garden and food storage. A volunteering opportunity inspired by Pitney Bowes dedication to food security and food security. 

In the last 3 years the Catalytic Foundation have conducted online research with our community partners to monitor the effect of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis on communities. Our findings are:

• 72% of charities have had an increase in demand - Food banks, mental health charities and those supporting youth and the elderly experienced the most pronounced spikes in demand for services

Financial poverty and inability to access food and basics was in the top 3 commonly stated needs that our charities noted.  Food security is essential for children and young people to be happy and healthy, learning and developing. Children living in food insecure households are less likely to consume nutritionally balanced diets essential for optimal growth and development, and this can have immediate and long-term negative consequences for their health and education. Household food insecurity has been associated with a wide range of child health and development problems from infancy through to adolescence.

In NZ one in five children are living in households where food can run out, and one in three are living in unaffordable housing, according to the latest child poverty indicators report.

Thank you to the Pitney Bowes NZ team for caring about education and food security in our communities

Over the last year the Catalytic Foundation has supported the following 7 community charities in the Auckland region with financial support.

This has been made possible by our Payday Donors who pay a small sum each payday, so collectively we can support important work being done in our community. 

Letter of thanks from Love Soup – The Hibiscus Coast Team

" Many of our families already experience financial hardship, then on top of that, the additional stress of damage to their homes and personal items during the floods.  It was such a blessing to be able to pass on a backpack filled with essential school items to help restore some normality for the children so they can get back to focusing on their education."

From Tracey

Congratulations to the following 9 frontline community charities who received $51,267 worth of grants from Catalytic Donors and The Tindall Foundation, to support their necessary social services. Thank you for the important work you do for people and whanau in Whanganui. Photo curtesy of English Language Partners in Whanganui.

An email of thanks we received from Liz Hoskin @ Life to the Max

“Kia ora kōrua

Thank you so much for once again endorsing and funding LTTM with a grant from the Catalytic Foundation. It is grants like these that ensure that LTTM can keep doing what's it's doing especially in these extra hard times!!! Our Board of Trustees especially send their thanks and we so look forward to continuing our relationship with you as we provide very much needed social support to vulnerable families in Whanganui.

Once again thank you so very much!!!!”

Congratulations to the 7 charities in Southland we recently endorsed with certificates, letters of support and donated $38,456 in financial grants to.

• Thank you to our Catalytic Ambassadors in Southland for assessing these charities for grants.
• Thank you to the Tindall Foundation and local donors for supporting our Southland community grants.

Thank you to the amazing team of volunteers from Deloitte who spent their day making up backpacks with educational supplies including: pens, pencils, sharpeners, highlighter, educational books, writing pads, felt tip pens, coloured pencils, pencil cases, lunchboxes and drink bottles.

The backpacks are for children in families affected by the floods, Cyclone Gabrielle and/or the cost of living crisis.

Thank you to Deloitte for also donating new laptop bags and digital charging units, these are currently being distributed to community charities around the country who know of individuals and families in need of these items. 

Deloitte people draw on our collective experience and ingenuity to make an impact that matters for our colleagues, Deloitte clients and society. Deloitte 2022 Global Impact Report

Catalytic Community Fund raises $185,553 to donated to 38 frontline community organisations in Otago. 

Congratulations to the community charities from the Otago Region who received a Catalytic Foundation Grant in 2023. Thank you to Otago Polytechnic and the Dunedin City Council for hosting the awards event. It was wonderful to see all the charities together networking and sharing their experiences.

Thank you to The Tindall Foundation, Mercy Hospital, Otago Polytechnic Charity House and our payday donors who contribute to this very important community fund.

All charities who have received Catalytic Grant funding in the last 2 years also receive a Catalytic endorsement and a letter of support, to help them apply for further funding.

“I would like to pass on the thanks of our client, volunteers, board members and myself for the generous donation we received from Catalytic at last night's presentation. It was a great opportunity to make connections with other groups in our community and also catch up with some old friends. It is also good to find out some of the stories behind groups working around Otago.
The funds given make it possible for us to continue operating and being able to offer an affordable service to our clients”. Jennie Archer, Dunedin Community Transport Trust 

Catalytic Community Fund raised $159,337 and donated to 39 outstanding frontline community organisations in the Canterbury region. Congratulations to the community charities from Canterbury and South Canterbury who received a Catalytic Foundation Grant in 2023.

Thank you to the Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury for hosting the award event in Timaru. It was encouraging to hear the stories about the work these frontline charities are doing in the Timaru and Waimate regions. 

Thank you to Cavell Leitch for hosting the awards event in Christchurch to the charities listed below. It was wonderful to see all the charities together networking and sharing their experiences. All charities who have received Catalytic Grant funding in the last 2 years also receive a Catalytic endorsement and a letter of support, to help with further funding applications. 

Thank you to The Tindall Foundation, Drummond Trust and Catalytic payday donors who contribute to this very important regional fund.

The Dunedin Night Shelter goes above and beyond for their clients!

Through the Catalytic Foundation Community Fund, which is supported by payday donors and donor organisations, we were able to provide a financial grant to the Dunedin Night Shelter in 2023. We are thankful to our donors for supporting the fund and ensuring outstanding frontline charities such at Dunedin Night Shelter receive necessary support. 

The following are social stories about the important work they do. 

Over $115,000 donated to hardworking charities from the Manawatu, Horowhenua and Whanganui regions.

Congratulations to the community charities from Manawatu/Horowhenua and Whanganui districts who received a Catalytic Foundation Grant this week. Thank you to Mayor Grant Smith and the Palmerston North City Council for hosting the awards event. It was wonderful to see all the charities together networking and sharing their experiences.

Thank you to The Tindall Foundation and our payday donors who contribute to this very important community fund.

"As a payroll donator myself, it was great to see where the funds go.
The Palmerston North City Council was very happy to host the ‘regional event’
for the Catalytic Foundation" Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith

The community charities who received Catalytic Foundation endorsement awards are:

Congratulations to these hardworking charities who support people in need in our communities.