Empower Youth Trust – Empowering, Educating, and Enabling

Empower Youth Trust is a refugee youth-led charitable organisation dedicated to empowering, educating, and enabling refugee and other marginalised youth in Aotearoa New Zealand. It provides access to new opportunities and supports young people in pursuing meaningful paths of their choice.

At the heart of Empower is a commitment to fostering strong, mutually enriching relationships. The team connects young Kiwi mentors with refugee-background students, equipping them with the guidance and support needed to make lasting contributions to their communities – socially, economically, and environmentally.

“Empower Youth Trust exists to address the structural barriers that refugee-background youth face in accessing education, leadership, and community engagement opportunities. One of our proudest achievements has been the success and growth of our mentoring programme, which has supported hundreds of young people,” says Rez Gardi, Founder.

Through structured mentorship and personalised support, Empower ensures that every mentor and student builds a close, meaningful relationship. Its mentors develop a deep understanding of their student’s talents, aspirations, and challenges, allowing them to offer tailored guidance and encouragement.

“The impact of this mahi is deeply personal – we’ve seen mentees gain confidence, direction, and access to opportunities that once felt out of reach. Many of our former mentees have come full circle, returning to Empower as mentors and volunteer coordinators to contribute meaningfully to the lives of other refugee youth. They not only give back to Empower, but have gone on to become changemakers and leaders in their communities, creating impact well beyond our organisation.

We are especially proud of the intergenerational support model we’ve built – one that centres lived experience, fosters belonging, and ensures that refugee youth are not only being supported, but are also shaping the future for others coming through the same journey,” says Rez.

Najma Zareh

Najma Zareh, one of the first mentees in the Empower programme, recently graduated from the University of Auckland with a conjoint degree in Law and Arts. Rez is proud that Empower has played an important role in her journey and that it continues to have an ongoing connection with Najma.

“Najma joined Empower as a high school student and, after gaining entry into university, returned to give back as both a mentor and a volunteer workshop coordinator. Her story is a powerful example of the kind of leadership and reciprocity we aim to foster through Empower. As Najma reflected on her graduation, she said: ‘I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Empower.’ Her journey captures exactly why we do this work – to support young people with refugee backgrounds not only to succeed, but to come back and uplift others on the same path,” says Rez.

As a refugee-youth-led organisation, one of Empower’s biggest challenges has been resourcing and capacity.

“Much of our mahi has been driven by passionate volunteers who bring deep lived experience and commitment, but of course sustaining this energy without consistent funding and staffing can be difficult,” says Rez.

“Another challenge has been navigating systems that often exclude refugee voices and that were not designed with refugees or other marginalised communities in mind. We’ve responded by professionalising our operations, building strong partnerships with community groups, funders, and institutions who share our values of equity and inclusion.

What has helped us overcome these challenges is the support of funders who believe in the power of grassroots leadership and the importance of refugee communities being the agents of our own futures. This belief – backed by trust and flexible resourcing – has allowed us to grow our capacity, bring on our first full-time staff member, and continue creating pathways for refugee youth to thrive and lead,” she says.

We asked Rez what the future looks like for this kaupapa.

“Looking ahead, we aim to scale and strengthen our mentoring programme and offer consistent educational and capacity-strengthening workshops across the year. We’re also working to deepen our relationships with schools, government agencies, and community providers to create a more supportive ecosystem for refugee youth. Long term, we envision Empower becoming a leadership hub – creating opportunities for young people from refugee backgrounds not only to succeed academically, but to use their education to shape the systems that affect our lives,” she says.