From the Honda Accord to $4.5m dollar development
“To think we are standing here today talking about a new building and a permanent space is just insane.”
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James Wards remembers the struggles well.
He was operating a newly developed business out of a Honda Accord that was barely road-worthy.
Wards travelled around Southland with 30-odd old laptops and a vision.
“I certainly wasn't doing it for money because there was nothing in it. Business advisors were telling me they didn’t know how I was doing it, because it was not making any sense financially.”
Wards’ motivation to set up Your Corps wasn’t centred on financial gain. He founded Your Corps in Gore as a response to a mental health crisis and suicides in his own community.
The Your Corps mission is to forge lasting relationships and reduce the number of suicides in New Zealand by bringing young people together and building communities around gaming.
Your Corps operates on a mixture of trading income from gaming events, where participants pay to participate, as well as community grants.
On Monday - after years of toil - the plucky rise to an established organisation took another decent leap forward.
Your Corps was announced as a foundation tenant for The Grace Street Project in South Invercargill.
The plan is to turn the former Grace St Chapel, which was last used as a SaveMart store, into a $4.5 million community hub for south Invercargill.
Your Corps will take up a chunk of the space as one of the tenants. There will be 32 computers put in place, built and serviced by those youngsters attached to Your Corps.
“I never thought we would make it this far,” a delighted Wards says.
“To think we are standing here today talking about a new building and a permanent space is just insane.”
“The only reason I’ve been able to keep going is because the younger ones have been determined to keep it going. They were never going to give up, so I wasn’t going to. But I’ve had some tough days doing it, but having that positive influence was what got me through. It’s been a hell of a journey.”
Last year the Your Corps crew toured the South Island putting on 10 gaming events in 12 days.
The work has and will continue to extend beyond just gaming though. There will be educational opportunities around technology.
Wards is working with the Ministry of Education to become accredited which will provide an opportunity to gain nationally recognised credits.
Grace Street Project spokesperson Janette Malcolm says Your Corps is a good fit as a foundation tenant in the development led by the Invercargill Community Connections Charitable Trust.
“We didn’t do this just to get a tenant. We did it because we know that technology is essential,” Malcolm says.
“Years ago, it was rapping and basketball that got kids out of poverty in the States, as an example, now it’s technology.
“If you can marry technology with something youth are connected to then we have got a way forward, the light bulb goes on. That’s why we did it."
“It helps deliver our goals of more equity of opportunity, giving people a place they feel they belong, and enabling a pathway so it’s not such a massive step out of school and home into the world. We know that step is too big for a lot of kids.”
Those behind the Grace Street Project need to raise $4.5 million to get it built and operating.
At this point, they have pulled in 64% of the required funds, with about $1.6m to go.
“It’s in the sights. We’ve started the final stages of the building design process. We will be ready to build in October if we’ve got the rest of the money,” Malcolm said.
“We have to think we’ll get it by then. We are about to start a much more physical presence of announcing things. Today is the start of that.
“So, there will be a much bigger awareness of what the project is amongst the general public. We’ve been pretty quiet because once you start you’ve got to keep it up.
“Now a fundraising committee has just been formed and looking at the corporate and philanthropic individuals who care.”