Youth Forever Club — a project designed to help African, Arabic, and Greek young people and their families who have moved to New Zealand — has developed a number of programmes during 2002 and initiated new ones to meet new needs.

The people the club focuses on often face a major clash of cultures due to New Zealand’s greater emphasis on individual choice as opposed to commitment to the family unit.

The club’s activities are concentrated in four main areas:

Recreational activities: Craft groups, sports coaching and tournaments, club programme, holiday programmes, one-day outings, music lessons, cultural events and camps.

Educational activities: Homework tutoring and Arabic language lessons, computer skills, and programmes for the families

Employment: The club directs job seekers and newcomers to the job-finder agencies, and explains to them the conditions and requirements of the Kiwi jobs market.

Resettlement: The club helps immigrant and refugee newcomers to establish a new life in New Zealand from the moment of arrival until they can do necessary things like opening a bank account, register with IRD, deal with WINZ, furnish their homes and apply for admission to schools.