How we work

Vibe is a Youth One Stop Shop (YOSS), providing a range of primary health and social support services for young people aged 10-24 years in Te Awakairangi (the Hutt Valley). 

We aim for our services to be accessible to young people.  This means that our services are youth friendly, in accessible locations, free and confidential.  These are delivered ‘under one roof’ or ‘through one door’ to reduce barriers for young people.

Our services are delivered from our two Vibe sites in Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt, as well as a number of schools and community settings across the Hutt Valley.   We currently have over 5,000 young people registered with our service.

We have a diverse team including nurses, doctors, youth workers, social workers, youth coaches, administrators, receptionists, and youth interns.

Vibe exists to support the needs and also the aspirations of young people, and we provide or have links to a wide range of educational and developmental opportunities. 

Our history

The Hutt Valley Youth Health Trust was formed in 1996 and began service delivery as the Hutt Valley Youth Health Service in October that year. The Trust was established by community members from Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt cities who were passionate about young people.  They were aware of the complex issues relating to young people’s health. Both groups thought they could respond to these issues with a new service delivery model.

At around the same time, the Central Regional Health Authority (CRHA) had published Whiti Te Ra (CRHA, 1995), a research document that focused on youth health issues, and more specifically the issues around young people accessing healthcare in the region. The proposal was dubbed a ‘One Stop Shop’.  This imagined a coordinated facility as a base for a variety of health services for young people (sexual health, social support, mental health, general health etc.).   

Vibe's early services included primary health clinics (nurses and doctors), and a peer support service - where young people were employed to provide the first point of contact and check in for clinics.

In 2005, following a consultative process with young people the service was rebranded as Vibe. 

Over the years Vibe has increased the range of services available for young people, in order to respond to the emerging needs of young people, and to fulfil the vision of the Youth One Stop Shop (YOSS) approach.