Jigsaw Whanganui promotes community organisations' work amid Covid 19

Whanganui residents made their way down to Majestic Square on Sunday afternoon to groove to some music while also promoting social equity.

A free concert called "Get Loud For Your Locals" was hosted by Jigsaw Whanganui, with Whiskey Mama belting out the tunes on the stage.

The event was held to promote Jigsaw Whanganui's "Look After Your Local" initiative, which was launched this month with the aim of increasing awareness and raising funds after the original fundraising event was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jigsaw Whanganui executive officer Tim Metcalfe said it was an awesome day and they were very grateful to Whiskey Mama for their performance.

He said about 300 to 400 people came out for the event, which ran from 12pm to 2.30pm.

"The intention of the day was to encourage our community to support our local community organisations and in particular the work these organisations do to promote social equity."

He said the organisers were trying to engage millennials and their interest around social justice and equity.

An inequality privilege exercise was held during the event to show the inequalities within society, Metcalfe said.

"Twenty to 30 volunteers were asked to take a step forward and it went across various privileges.

"If you grew up in a family that had enough food, if you were brought up in a home where you had both your parents, if your household had an income greater then the living wage ... so it just highlights sorts of equities in our society."

"And that's an important part of social work at an individual level and also working for change in our economic and political systems to promote greater equity."

He said Covid-19 had highlighted the privileges some have over others, or that might have been taken away, and it was important to recognise that.

Jigsaw's next big event will be the Plumber Dan Duck Race in mid-November.

Lucy Drake
Whanganui Chronicle 3/8/20