About
Lifewalk

Children and young people deserve the best opportunity possible to engage at every level during their school years, so they can thrive and grow in independence and confidence.

The health and well being of children impacts everyone. When children struggle, the impact ripples outwards and can effect future generations. Lifewalk responds to that need by providing trained chaplains and placing them into state schools in Aotearoa.

Our people are dedicated volunteers, giving their time to provide pastoral care for the whole school community. We have over 250 chaplains volunteering in schools nationwide, from primary through to secondary level.

We see individual lives weaving together, creating a beautiful, rich tapestry. A chaplain is a part of that tapestry.

Schools are often the ‘hubs’ of our communities – where students and their families connect in a variety of ways – through the myriad of cultural, art and sporting events on offer. 

A Chaplain is a person within this network who loves to take an interest and be a part of the school, its people and its happenings.

Over time, chaplains become a ‘part of the woodwork’, celebrating with staff, students and their families throughout the ups and downs of life. When time is invested into people, they can gain strength and purpose.

We work in partnership with schools, and with their direction, we seek to provide students and staff with someone who cares about them, walks with them through the changes and challenges they face, and celebrates their achievements.

We want to support the whole whānau, not just the individual. We train our chaplains to embrace all backgrounds, belief systems and cultures.

Lifewalk provides quality chaplaincy training to equip volunteers with the tools they need to be effective.

Our chaplaincy training is called the CARE course, an acronym for Chaplaincy, Assessing, Resourcing and Equipping. The course is taught over two days, which is approximately fourteen hours of ‘in-class’ training.

All trainees, whether basic, standard or advanced are required to complete the full course before being placed within a school at the direction of a Lifewalk representative. 

The CARE course is split into six modules, covering, amongst other topics:

1. Personal development

2. Listening and communication

3. Pastoral care skills

4. Common issues and referrals best-practice

5. Developmental issues

6. Understanding people

7. Te Tiriti o Waitangi

8. Cultural models

9. Health and safety