Night market showcased dreams in the making

Passion, success and talent were all on display at the Illuminate Night Market held in Auckland during Youth Week 2019, organised by Recreate NZ.

The Night Market, at the Mt Albert YMCA complex on 25 May, showcased social enterprise in the youth and disability sector. All 20 stallholders came from a disability background or from a youth community seeking better social and economic inclusion. It was an opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities and potential of these young people in the employment sector, and for the community to engage with New Zealand-made, socially conscious products.

Recreate NZ is now looking to instigate a new mahi, a Social Enterprise Hub to support these young people to progress and achieve their employment dreams, says General Manager Brent Jenkin.

The IHC Foundation has supported Recreate NZ’s life-skills programmes and other special programmes since 2012. The most recent was a grant last year of $55,000 towards the organisation’s social enterprise initiatives.

By popular demand, the Night Market is being run again in late November.

See more about the experiences of three participants, forging their own path to employment.