Helping from experience

Youthline Auckland Charitable Trust
Resilient, Empathetic, Compassionate

Holly Simpson knows what it’s like to feel lost and unsure of her purpose. She discovered she was pregnant at 16, after feeling disengaged at school through her teenage years.

Being a solo mum at a young age felt really difficult, but her life changed when she received a call from Youthline Auckland, a charity that supports young people.

Youthline helped Holly rekindle her interest in studying youth work and inspired her to make something of her life. She began by volunteering with the organisation, taking on a paid role after completing her studies.

Now she leads a team of five youth workers and managing the North Shore Centre.

Last year, Holly’s team provided more than 2500 counselling and mentoring sessions in the area.

Holly says her life experiences showed her the true value of helping. She considers it a privilege to spend every day helping others.

“Our goal is to give the young people of our community the best opportunities, to advocate for them, to believe in them and to support them to be the best that they can be,” says Holly.

“So many young people are isolated, and I believe all it takes is having one person who cares, who checks in and who is there for you.”

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. Youthline will use its grant to pay for triaging staff at its helpline services.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here