Thrive Whanganui are looking for a new Engagement Coordinator to help the transition to online. Photo / Supplied
Thrive Whanganui are looking for a new Engagement Coordinator to help the transition to online. Photo / Supplied
Covid-19 will be "a real turning point" for a local mentoring programme aimed at helping new businesses get off the ground.
Thrive Whanganui, a charitable trust established in 2018, was about to launch its third year of mentoring for community and social enterprise leaders just as the lockdown loomed.
Now the six-month mentoring programme will go ahead online with a boost in the form of a $5000 grant from the Whanganui Community Foundation's Covid-19 fund.
Programme director Nicola Patrick said the programme was going to be put on hold as they weren't sure how long the Covid-19 situation would last.
But she said the money would now allow them to hire an Engagement Coordinator to help with online systems and engaging with their clients.
Thrive Whanganui are looking for a new Engagement Coordinator to help the transition to online. Photo / Supplied
"Initially was going to be on hold because of the extra value you get out of meeting people face to face, their energy and the connection you establish," Patrick said.
"It seemed silly to push on running it online if this was only going to be a short hiccup.
"But it's really clear now that, even as alert levels change, people aren't going to want to come together in groups for some time."
"Our work relies on relationships and understanding people's needs and we don't want to just make do by leaning on online services in a casual way. We actually recognise that we need an extra connection and time to support online services.
"We'll be able to achieve really good results even though there may be very little face to face contact over the next six months."
Patrick said the role is crucial as a number of people they work with aren't confident or familiar with technology and need specialist support.
Patrick sees the Covid-19 situation as a "real turning point" in the work they do.
"We think that through all this change and reflection, people want to build back better.
"We think we can do it differently. We think we can use the power of business and the heart of the community to deliver different enterprises that make a difference in the world.
