OUR TEAM

Many people have been involved in the process of developing our programmes and resources since the Trust's inception. It has been a huge task that needed input from a range of professionals active in the field of violence prevention, education and health. And of course children have been consulted all along the way!

Our Programme Development Team

Elaine Dyer

Elaine  has been a passionate advocate for peace, social justice and the prevention of violence for most of her working life.

Trained initially as a teacher of children, she initiated Youthline’s Action Education and has coordinated, trained and facilitated projects in prisons and communities nationally and internationally - such as the Alternatives to Violence Project and her own professional training courses for facilitators.

Elaine has written international manuals for trainers as well as being highly regarded as a trainer and supervisor of facilitators. She has presented at conferences here in New Zealand and internationally.

Previously CEO of Violence Free Waitakere, since 2015 she has been focused on programme development and teacher training.

Andrea O'Hagan

Andrea, programme co-developer and teacher trainer, focuses on effective learning strategies and the nuances of effective teacher talk with her background in education and neuro-linguistics.

Andrea has taught in kindergartens, primary schools, university and adult community settings. For three years from 2011 Andrea was the NLP Brain Coach in an Eastern Bay of Plenty secondary school, introducing teenagers to strategies to change their learning and behaviours. She has been teaching since 2004 in the University of Waikato Faculty of Education as a Teaching Fellow.

She was contracted by the Peace Foundation for 14 years as the regional trainer of the Peace Foundation Mediation Programmes in Primary Schools, and the Peaceful Family Communication Programmes. She co-wrote the Peaceful Family Communication manual in 2010 and Peaceful Teens Communication skills manual in 2013.

Our Support Team

Emma Bolwell

Emma supports the Trust’s fundraising activities and strategic planning.

With a Masters in International Development, she has worked in numerous roles in government and not-for-profits focused on improving children’s health and wellbeing.

Emma is passionate about using research and evidence in community development contexts and for children and young people to have the support and resources they need.

She also has two energetic young daughters and a boisterous labrador who keep her busy and active.

Emmy Nicol

Emmy supports the Trust’s operations and administration.

She is an experienced administrator with a passion for helping build strong and resilient communities around her that feel empowered to create positive change in the world. She has worked across a broad range of sectors, from farming to the arts, and brings to the Trust a strong skillset of systems design thinking, community building, relationship management and facilitation.

Emmy has two young children and feels passionate about equipping them early on with solid emotional literacy skills that will help guide them into adulthood.

Matt Wall

Matt helps look after the Trust’s finances.

He has a Bachelor of Commerce from Auckland University, and is a full member CA with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Matt is keen on all things sport, and has a young family that keeps him busy when he’s not buried in spreadsheets or a cricket game!

Our Training Team

Megan Gallagher

Megan is a teacher, coach, presenter and writer. She is still teaching part time as well as taking part in a variety of initiatives including working with Jade Speaks Up. Megan has a strong interest in wellbeing, she was a health educator for a number of years and in 2017 she completed her masters of education with a dissertation focusing on teacher wellbeing.

Megan has worked in education most of her life in a variety of roles largely focused on primary school education with some work in early childhood through Playcentre, and secondary as a reliever and presenter. She worked for Life Education Trust for a number of years both as an educator and the national education manager. Megan has also spent time as an adult workplace assessor.

She is currently a teacher, beginning teacher mentor, and working in her own business Ignite Your Spark as a coach, presenter and contractor.

Evelyn Mann

Evelyn Mann, facilitator, runs Dramaworkz providing quality drama experiences in classrooms and teacher professional development using process drama as a pedagogical tool. Currently working for Drama NZ as a mentor to schools in Otago and Southland.

Evelyn was teaching in a primary school classroom before, and after, Lecturing in Drama at the Dunedin College of Education as an advisor in The Arts – Drama through the introduction of the Arts Curriculum.

Eight years were spent with ATCO as an actor/facilitator for Everyday Theatre, commissioned by Child Youth and Family, working with Year 7 and 8 in schools across the country around family issues. Following this eight years were spent as Artistic Director to THETA (Theatre in Health Education Trust) responsible for Sexwise, a programme funded by Ministry of Health, touring nationally in secondary level education settings. Sexwise led to half time employment with the Southern DHB as Sexual Health Promoter in Public Health South working in Otago and Southland from 2014-2021.

Evelyn has worked in over 600 education settings in Aotearoa between Te Hapu in the North and Half Moon Bay in Rakiura/Stewart Island.

Trish Wells

Trish has over 25 years’ experience as an arts educator in initial teacher education across primary and secondary programmes. Her research interests are drama education and an applied theatre approach to pedagogy across the curriculum.

Trish has numerous publications and has presented her research extensively nationally and internationally. She has worked professionally in theatre as an actor and director and is a co-founding member of Talking House Theatre company.

Trish has a keen interest in community theatre, particularly theatre that advocates for social change and gives voice to those on the fringes of society.

She comes to the Jade Speaks Up programme with a desire to empower children and make a positive change in their lives.