Auckland Airport Community Trust supports more local projects

The Auckland Airport Community Trust has donated over $370,000 to worthy local community projects in its 2013 funding round.

The Trust, which was established in 2003, receives over $300,000 a year from Auckland Airport and distributes the money annually to local organisations that operate within the Trust’s Area of Benefit and support the community under the Trust’s current themes of learning, literacy and life skills.

This year’s distributions take the total figure the Trust has donated to over $2.8 million, an impressive figure that has seen over 47 different local organisations receive grants to help them achieve their aspirations for the benefit of their community.

Ian McGechie, Auckland Airport Community Trust chairman, says the Trust received a record number of applications for the grants this year, meaning the decision to choose the successful recipients was a difficult one.

“Our number one priority is to see the funding provide the best possible results for the community and we therefore dedicate a lot of time to determining who should receive the grants,” says Mr McGechie.

“We have seen the very positive impact that grants from the Auckland Airport Community Trust have had in the community over the years and, with the quality of applications we received this year, we are very confident that the 2013 recipients will achieve wonderful and worthwhile outcomes within the community as well.”

This year 10 fantastic organisations were chosen to receive an Auckland Airport Community Trust grant with Youthlaw Tino Rangatiratanga being one of those successful. Youthlaw, which will receive $9,000 from the Trust, offers free legal help to children and young people under the age of 25. The funding will allow Youthlaw to provide a ‘Law@work’ legal education programme at schools within the Area of Benefit, covering topics such as tenancy, staying out of debt, bullying and other law-based youth development topics.

Mira Taitz, Legal Education Coordinator at Youthlaw, says, “We are thrilled to receive support from the Auckland Airport Community Trust as this will enable us to reach more young people with preventative legal education. Basic legal knowledge is a life skill that can prevent problems and resolve issues early to keep young people on track.”

“If young people don’t solve problems early, they can snowball and become worse. Young people will learn how to access help and gain the confidence to solve problems before they get out of hand. The project will also support outreach to local communities so that young people and those working with them are aware of Youthlaw’s services.”

Also receiving funding is English Language Partners Auckland South, an organisation that works with people from many different countries, helping them to learn English.

The funding from the Auckland Airport Community Trust will help English Language Partners to form a partnership with Papatoetoe Kindergarten to utilise their facilities and provide English for Speakers of Other Languages literacy classes for parents or grandparents of the children attending the kindergarten, as well as to members of local migrant communities within the Area of Benefit.

Julia Castles, Manager of English Language Partners South says, “It is amazing how some parents have become involved with their children at the kindergarten once they have gained some confidence speaking English. We are thrilled to receive a grant from the Auckland Airport Community Trust as it will enable us to reach and help more people.”

To view a list of all fund recipients or to find out how to make an application for the Auckland Airport Community Trust funding, please visit www.aucklandairportcommunitytrust.org.nz.

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