Riding the Wave of Optimism – Being a circuit breaker for change Genevieve Haszard* In my sixth form year my dad insisted I take physics. His view was that even if I was going to be a lawyer and did not believe, at the age of 16, physics was necessary for this career choice, knowledge is power and one day it would be useful and important. Despite my considerable lack of aptitude there were a couple of important lessons I learnt in that year. Sticking at something you don’t find easy was one. The other, was about electrical currents. For some reason the concepts of currents, energy, resistance, and circuit breakers really resonated with me. This was both fortunate and serendipitous as some ten years later I was sitting in a conference room listening to an electrical expert explain how a switchboard had caught on fire and caused a large office block in the Melbourne CBD to be evacuated at considerable expense to the various tenants and building owner. I was working for the law firm representing one of the insurers. The partner I was working with was struggling to understand the expert’s explanation, so I explained it as I understood it. It was all about circuit breakers. The partner had a eureka moment and the expert asked me if I had studied physics, impressed at how I had followed his explanation and then explained in simple terms what had occurred. I subsequently left the world of civil litigation and
DECEMBER 2021
now much of my work involves defending young adults as they navigate the criminal justice system. In many respects these young people sit on a circuit board, trapped in an ever-moving current they are unable to leave without a circuit breaker to redirect their energy into a new and positive direction and they are taught the skills to deal with resistance, both internal and external. In Mount Maunganui there is a programme using surfing as that circuit breaker – Tai Watea - Surf Therapy Live for More programme. Riding the wave becomes a metaphor for the lives of those on the course. There will be times when you hit the wave beautifully and ride it out, and other times when you will get dumped, but the trick is learning to get back on the board ready for the next wave which could be “the one”. It requires an optimistic outlook, a positive energy and being in the right current. The young men of Tai Watea are given an opportunity to find their true energy, connection, and in doing so find a new pathway or, as I see it, a new circuit. At the helm is Krista Dixon who personifies positive energy and unfailing optimism. She leads a team of compassionate, grounded youth workers, mentors, teachers and support personnel who are passionate and committed about what they do. As a result, the Tai Watea programme is achieving quite amazing outcomes for the young men who take part. The impressive statistics evidence dramatically reduced recidivism rates for the young men who complete the course, and numerous stories illustrate how life-changing this can be.
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