About Fast Track Inclusion Trust

The Fast Track Inclusion (FTI) Trust envisions a society that acts to achieve lives of quality for all citizens. We inspire and inform social change by creating a passion and culture for inclusion. We work with the community, government, and the private sector to secure justice, equality, and well-being of all citizens.

FTI works to create transformative, measurable outcomes for vulnerable children, youth and families through emerging community leadership. The trust carries out social innovation applied research to accelerate social inclusion for marginalised people throughout New Zealand.

The Fast Track Inclusion (FTI) Trust was launched in 2012 by a group of academics and business people who work in social change. Trustees worked in a range of social and environmental project which created good value for society, however when funding ran out, these projects were typically shelved. The trustees wanted to extend the value that these projects could still produce by contributing their time and knowledge, beyond the projects' funding life. The FTI trust does mostly volunteer work as described on its website, applying for philanthropic funding only to meet certain necessary operational costs.

We identify and train emerging leaders from within vulnerable communities. By envisioning their future positively and sustainably, they tap into their collective wisdom to grow as social innovators. Sharing their learning from within their communities they then power up a “leadership pipeline”. Our teamwork with stakeholders, officials and NGOs focuses on a common aim, viz. for parents to become change agents for their children, a proven way to enhance return on social investment, with quantifiable and measurable outcomes.

More about us

Fast Track Inclusion fulfils its social innovation vision by carrying out targeted learning projects that are directly applicable to enriching the quality of everyday life of people and families coping with disability. the concept of inclusion is embraced by the disabled community who justifiably want to claim their place in their communities... but is our society matching this interest by opening its arms to embrace people with disabilities and mental illness? ... well errrrr... not yet. Fast Track Inclusion looked at the art world and asked: is mainstream art open to a diverse and inclusive membership? Quick hint: no.

Research has proven that community input is central to marginalised artists being able to contribute. Mainstream art practice options, however, are rarely available to people with communication or social challenges. This is our signal to create an integrative art space to provide this group with knowledge to explore and enter contribute to their communities whilst showcasing their talent.

Internationally New Zealand is behind with the lack of inclusion of disabled artists into mainstream creative opportunities. Research has demonstrated that our marginalised artists face significant barriers preventing them from accessing mainstream art opportunities. Currently Hamilton has a number of community art centres where marginalised artists can learn and exhibit together but there are few opportunities for them to access mainstream or able-bodied art activities.

Supporting disabled artists to access integrated creative environments with mainstream artists will in turn benefit all. This approach supports the New Zealand Disability Strategy Action Plan Objective 9 relating to the rights of disabled people to access mainstream opportunities.

The membership and supporting organisations of the community collective we belong to includes national organisations operating in the arts and community sectors, local disability and mental health organisations, community and business representatives, the Hamilton City Council, local members and organisations from the arts community. The leadership group that drives this initiative is composed of 40 people from the above organisations as well as local community artists, art therapy practitioners, disabled artists and community representatives.

Our philosophy

Our objectives

Extracts from our Deed

Our People

The FTI Trust is supported by the expertise of its Trustees and Advisory Board below.

Robert Akscyn

Chairperson

Robert Akscyn, Chairperson has served for several years as a New Zealand Technology Fellow, funded by the Foundation for Research in Science and Technology, to help high tech companies in New Zealand with their R&D strategy. He co-funded a number of startups and received a W. Larimer Mellon Fellowship and an IBM Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon University. Passionate about youth development, Robert mentors students to improve their academic performance and extend their professional networks. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California.

Olivia Adamson

Trustee

Olivia Adamson, University of Waikato, Student Ambassador, Hamilton. Olivia is completing her degree in Environmental Science and is enthusiastic about science education and grassroots level work. She is passionate about food sustainability and hopes to get others excited about the natural world and how we interact with it. Olivia heads the Te Uku Sustainable Goals Community Project. Olivia will summarise and quantify the action impacts of the project by liasing with Scientist around the country, analysing the data and representing them it in a format readily accessible to the public, with feedback to the Te Uku School and community.

Annick Janson

Associate

Associate, Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research, Victoria University of Wellington received a Gallup Positive Psychology Award for her Leadership Formative Experiences research. Annick has been facilitating Leadership Development and research in the disability and community development sector for the past decade. She represented NZ at the Global Leadership Summit, Washington D.C. and at the European Commission EASPD service providers for the disability sector. Annick has governance experience in the private and public sector. She was Microsoft NZ Research Director, and Inaugural Research Director with the NZ Leadership Institute, University of Auckland Business School. She was awarded a Ph.D. in Management Systems by the University of Waikato, in New Zealand.

Founding members & special projects advisors

Rachel Dekel

Rachel Dekel is a co-founder of DigiPoll, one of New Zealand’s leading survey and market research companies. The business also provides fieldwork services to a wide range of clients, nationally and internationally. DigiPoll team of researchers are experts in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Rachel heads the team with expertise from over 25 years experience in strategic planning, development and management in the private and public sector, in both Canada and New Zealand mostly in the Health and Disability sector. She was awarded a Masters degree in Health Development and Policy by the University of Waikato.

Dr. Koke Saavedra

Dr. Koke Saavedra joined the ICAMHS (Infant, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services) team in Hamilton and Thames in 2012. Before immigrating to New Zealand, he was Staff Psychologist at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute and at the Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland. He was also Faculty at the Wright Institute and Clinical & Training Director at the Berkeley CBT Clinic of the Wright Institute. Koke started his professional career as an Consultant, Economics & Financing of Education at the World Bank for over 4 years, before focusing on his passion to develop at-risk youth with novel interventions. Koke was awarded a PhD in Psychology from The Wright Institute.

Dr. Galia Schechter

Dr. Galia Schechter, Clinical Psychologist with Adult Mental Health at Waikato DHB, specialises in compassionate, culturally safe and effective psychotherapy and counselling services towards healing and growth in the areas of trauma (acute and chronic); depression; anxiety; specific phobias; work and life related stress; grief and bereavement; major life changes and adjustments, and relational/interpersonal challenges. Galia is passionate about addressing the issues of at-risk families with humanistic psychology, as inspired by eastern philosophies and mindfulness. Galia was awarded a PhD in Psychology from The Wright Institute and subsequently focused on individual therapy.

Stephen Cox

Stephen Cox is the Founder of Innovation Associates Ltd, a company coaching research providers and companies with their research funding and innovation projects. Stephen Cox is always active in making things happen, and developing research cultures that match both the organisation's goals and those of the researchers involved. Working with some of New Zealand's top researchers over a 25 year period, Stephen has gained a unique insight into the issues involved with technology transfer in New Zealand and how to ensure that business can receive added value from research-based commercialisation projects. He was awarded a M. Phil and a Dip Bus Admin from Massey University.

Dr. Robin Itzigsohn

Dr. Robin Itzigsohn has an eclectic background in Science and Education. He taught biotechnology at the University of Waikato and consulted to a number of technology startups. Robin developed a range of methodologies to collect tacit knowledge from experts in wide ranging disciplines in secondary education and tertiary research institutions. He recently left academe to develop the family farm on the West coast testing the development of novel local and international markets for table grapes. Robin was awarded a PhD in Microbiology and a post-graduate degree in Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.