GAIN Canterbury runs as part of the RUR Trust. Each school term it provides experiential programmes for parents/caregivers and youth (12-16 years) throughout metropolitan Christchurch. Its central aim has always been to give goals, skills and focus for family life.
GAIN is a five week programme, run for two hour and a quarter hours for five evenings from 7-9.15pm. Developed in the United States and brought here in 1989 by Fran Barton of Arkansaw, USA, it was adapted by a members of New Zealand Association of Counsellors for New Zealand context and was first run in a Christchurch school later that year.
Originally brought in under the umbrella of Youth for Christ in Christchurch, it was adopted in schools throughout the country and by 1993 was established nationwide under GAIN New Zealand Incorporated. Funding to develop and run programmes was secured at the time through the Lotteries Commission and the Roy McKenzie Foundation. Each programme was designed to be run by two facilitators. These were professionals with extensive experience working with youth and families, who brought with them skills from their professional backgrounds such as social or youth work, teaching and counselling.
GAIN Family Programme has been running now in Christchurch for fourteen years. Since 1991 and the closure of the national office, it has run independently under a charitable trust. Three trustees oversee GAIN Canterbury and the day to day organisation and promotion is handled by a part-time manager. Courses are run by a team of twenty facilitators, all with extensive experience with group work and youth and families. Funded primarily by the Christchurch City Council programmes are run city wide each term at a variety of venues, usually schools, churches or community centres. While a programme may be based at one particular school, all families within the local community are welcome to attend. Programmes are always spread out around the city to enable families to have access to something close to home.