Building belonging and worth into every young person.

La Vida Youth Trust is a Christian faith-based charitable trust. We advocate for young people from primary school through to young adults in our local communities and city. We work in local schools, community programmes and universities. We exist to create relational communities where any young person, regardless of who they are or where they come from, can feel a sense of belonging and be in a place where they can discover their identity through connectedness to mentors and peers. We have an extremely capable and passionate team of staff and volunteers who are committed to being authentic role models and available for support, listening, advocating, guidance, positive peer presence, providing safe environments and having a lot of fun, over a long period of time.

Our Values Keep Us Focused

Love

Aroha means love, compassion, and respect. It is the foundation of everything we do at La Vida Youth Trust. We believe that every young person deserves to be loved, respected, and valued. We love what we do, and the community we serve.

Consistency

Consistency is important to us and our work with the kids because we want to build trust with the youth we serve. We want them to know that they can rely on us to be there for them, no matter what.

Relationship

Relationship is at the heart of our work. We believe that strong relationships are essential for young people to thrive. We strive to build relationships with the young people we serve, as well as their whanau and the community

Hope

We help young people who have lost belief in themselves or their potential for success and happiness. We believe that every young person has the ability to reach their potential. We provide young people with the support and guidance they need to achieve their goals and dreams.

Presence

Presence is important to us because we want to be fully engaged with the young people in our community. We want to listen to them, learn from them, and be there for them in the present moment. Available and accessible.

Faith

Faith is what sustains us in our work. Our belief that God loves every one of these young people, regardless of their behaviour, background or beliefs, enables us to treat every one of these kids with love, respect, patience and grace.

Board Member Profiles

  • Angela Crocker

    I have been a trustee for La Vida Youth Trust for 16 years and have held different roles in the trust over that time (from administrator to Chairperson). It has been helpful to see the inner workings of our organisation from all angles.

    My professional background was in advertising, and I love bringing those skills into the Trust wherever I can. In my spare time I run a charitable company with an online shop called ‘Bird in a Cage’ to help raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking and donate proceeds to organisations working in this field.

    I’m passionate about young people and their potential, having been a youth leader and youth pastor in earlier years, and I now have the privilege to help lead Life Church alongside my husband Carl.

  • David MacDonald

    I have a background in banking, finance and commercial property. I have had my own consultancy business specialising in banking and property finance for over 15 years.

    I enjoy being involved in governance roles where I can bring my skills to help strengthen a board and help the business achieve its goals.

    I have a passion for excellence and enjoy helping the Youth Trust team as they work with young people to help them achieve their potential.

  • Brent Schroeder

    I have been involved in youth leadership since 1982 and all these years later, still remain passionate about seeing young people continue to reach their full potential. I have also been involved in a governance position in the Youth Trust for over 18 years and have seen the significant change that a healthy Youth Trust can make in a community.

    It is important to me that the Youth Trust has stability and financial viability to ensure longevity of the work. This provides security for the young people that we are serving.

    My experience as an aircraft engineer, an IT business owner and now as the General Manager of a community health centre allows me to bring input into the areas of management and financial forecasting as well as a passion for advocating for the holistic development of a young person and their family.

  • Simon Ward

    I have been a mortgage adviser since September 2016 and started my own business in 2019. Previously, I worked at Public Trust for 5 years as their regional manager and prior to that worked 25+ years with the National/ANZ Bank.

    I appreciate the opportunity to give back to our community in a governance role as a board member for this trust as well as serving on the Mainland Football Federation Board and previously a board member of a Christian Preschool for a number of years.

    I have an interest in the youth of today and enjoy coaching junior/youth football for the last 5 years. These experiences provide me with the knowledge and skills to oversee La Vida Youth Trust’s core values in working with the young people that our various programmes come in contact with.

    Seeing the enthusiasm and energy that these young people have keeps me young at heart.

  • Julia Tasker

    My involvement with the Youth Trust started as a volunteer in our initial Friday night community youth programme when the Youth Trust first started. After that, I became a 24-7 Youth Worker for 10 years in Riccarton High School and in varying degrees have been involved on the ground in most of our different programmes.

    I’ve experienced and seen firsthand the difference the staff, volunteers and programmes make in the lives of young people and their families. I also understand the challenges to seeing the longevity of this work continue in communities.

    It is a privilege to be able to be a part of the board and to continue to play a role in shaping and supporting the incredible and life-changing work that happens through La Vida Youth Trust.

Where it All Started


 It all started with a basketball hoop and a ball at 34A Hansons Lane in 2002.

Local kids had started hanging out on the property shooting hoops to fill in their spare time and Life Church (the owners of the property) made a hall available for them and some volunteer leaders to supervise and support the youth. This Friday night programme continued to grow, and the youth trust was established in 2004 which gave us the support and structure we needed to increase our vision.

New opportunities arose to place Youth Workers in primary and high schools as part of the 24-7 YouthWork Network. These, along with further opportunities to run programmes for these children in our local community, has seen the work of the Trust grow over several years, which now consists of 24-7 YouthWork, After School Programme, Breakfast Club, Youth Drop-in, and Christmas Box. This work now stretches across the city based in three locations - Upper Riccarton, Lincoln and New Brighton.