Connecting Generations is an initiative of young entrepreneur and change agent Johny O’Donnell.
From the age of 14 Johny heavily involved himself across the board in volunteering and decision-making, finding a deep passion for contributing to social and environmental good.
After establishing the youth movement “Students Against Violence Everywhere” when he was 15 and a student at Nelson College, Johny discovered a huge gap in understanding between generations and felt a very real loss of connection.
Since that realisation back in early 2009 Johny has worked tirelessly to educate and equip adults with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively and genuinely engage with young people.
Just some of the initiatives Johny has worked on include:
-Regularly training Nelson Marlborough District Health Board staff in dealing with disclosures of abuse from young people
-Facilitating focus groups and research into the drivers of smoking amongst young people
-Training Child and Youth Advocates from Women’s Refuge up and down the country in breaking down the barriers to participation and treating young people with dignity, see what Women’s Refuge CEO Heather Henare had to say about Johny here
-Establishing and leading an Youth Advisory Panel to facilitate the development of a website with information about domestic violence
-Run leadership and campaigning workshops to encourage and equip young people to make a difference in their communities
-Spoke of the urgent need to engage young people to the Global Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment in Dallas, Texas to a delegation made up of over 27 countries, see what summit organiser George Holden had to say about Johny here
-Represented young people across the country as a member of New Zealand Youth Parliament in 2010 where he spoke of the shortfalls of NZ’s investment in young people particularly in the area of decision making
-Consulted to and helped facilitate a live in camp for young adults teaching life and leadership skills across ten days, see what MIOMO NZ founder Yvonne Godfrey had to say about Johny here
and much more!
So if you’ve ever felt the need or desire to increase your confidence working with young people and learn groundbreaking techniques to meaningfully engage with youth, then Connecting Generations is for you!
Have a browse through the site and feel free to get in touch with us.
Check out some short video highlights from Johny O’Donnell’s speech to The Global Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment:
