There’s something pretty special about making a place your own.
Duke House is a place where young people come to heal, build trust, find hope and make connections. But it’s also important that it feels like a home. A safe space that feels welcoming, familiar and, importantly, like it belongs to them.
This week, our peer support group got busy designing bunting flags for the barn. Each person brought their own creativity, aroha and meaning to their flag. Then they hung them together, adding colour and personality to the space and making the barn feel a little more like theirs.
Of course, no Duke House gathering is complete without food! The group headed into the kitchen to make Thai summer rolls, with ingredients kindly donated by our friends at Love Soup Hibiscus Coast. And there was plenty of homegrown goodness too, with food from the Duke House garden making its way onto the table.
It might look like bunting, gardening and cooking, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about creating connection. Building confidence. Sharing something together. And helping young people feel at home in a place they can call their own. Helping them find their way back to awesome.