34. Dietrich Soakai - Knowing Yourself, Speaking Your Truth, and Being a Voyce

Today we hear from Dietrich Soakai.  A beautiful man with a huge heart, especially for rangatahi, or young people. Currently working for Voyce Whakarongo Mai in youth advocacy, Dietrich has spent a lot of time with young people helping them feel heard. We talk about growing up in New Zealand as a Pacific Islander, how he discovered poetry and got into youth work and what he saw when those two things were held together, and what he is doing now in the area of child advocacy.  Some te reo Māori, or Māori language terms Dietrich uses include te āo Māori, meaning the Māori world or way of engaging with the world; rangatahi - young person; tamariki - children;  pēpi - baby; and mana, which Dietrich uses in a way that loosely means worth or value as a person. Look out for the challenge he leaves for us at the end of the kōrero. Check out Voyce Whakarongo Mai on Facebook at facebook.com/VOYCEWhakarongoMai Hear some of the Word the Frontline poets on Action Station's YouTube channel here And hear some of Dietrich's own poems here ___ Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com or at: Facebook: facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations  Instagram: @downtoearth.conversations Email: [email protected]   Music by Strahan: Spotify: Strahan Facebook: facebook.com/StrahanMusic  or  facebook.com/commonerscommunion Instagram: @strahanmusic  or  @commoners_communion