Momentum Charitable Trust
When a person leaves prison, they face an uncertain future. They might lack the support of friends and whānau, face stigma or judgement, or have little connection to the outside world. Momentum is working to change this. We work with people in prison and on probation to connect them with programmes and mentoring that foster real world skills and capabilities. Participants are equipped with strategies and tools to effectively meet the challenges that inevitably arise upon release. At the heart of it, we recognise that all humans have similar needs, desires and goals in life, and that offending is a (maladaptive) attempt at getting needs and goals met. We take a strengths-based approach to see what's present and alive in a person that can be turned towards pro-social ways of getting these needs and goals met. We do this by embodying the following values: - I am you and you are me - We remember what's been - Connection in community - Te Tiriti justice. Our vision is an Aotearoa where each person in prison is supported with internal and external resources for change and self-determination AND a society that better understands the drivers of criminal behaviour and the humanity of the people behind the behaviour. This fuels our mission of supporting people in every prison with life skills and interpersonal connections, paving the way for a good life beyond the prison gate, and challenging the systems that hold people back. Our dream is an Aotearoa where prison-impacted people feel confident, resilient, connected and able to meaningfully contribute to their whānau and hapori. All of which, over time, leads to a drastic reduction in offending rates in Aotearoa.