Aspiring leaders put best foot forward during stay at Sir Graeme S. Avery House
Wairoa College year 8 student Te Maioho Matai has made new friends, developed leadership skills and tackled many challenges as part of the college’s Aspiring Leaders Programme.
“It’s awesome as you get to take on new challenges, build close friendships and you get to train like an adult and get to experience what it’s like to be a professional athlete,” Te Maioho explains.
She is one of 23 Year 7 and 8 students who have participated in the year-long Wairoa Young Achievers Trust (WYAT) Wairoa College Aspiring Leadership Programme, a partnership with Hawke’s Bay Community Fitness Trust aimed at unearthing future community leaders.
Te Maioho has a rare form of rheumatoid arthritis, but it hasn’t stopped her from participating in most of the fun physical activities created by HBCFCT fitness coach Ally Hislop.
“Ally is so cool, she understands what I can and can’t do and has helped me push the boundaries of what I can achieve," Te Maioho says.
"It has helped with my physical movements and it would be great if I could continue next year."
The Wairoa College Aspiring Leaders group has just had its first overnight stay at the Sir Graeme S. Avery House, which is part of the $80 million sport and health facilities created by HBCFCT at the Regional Sports Park in Hastings.
Wairoa College teacher Roxine Habib said the students were incredibly excited to stay at the new onsite hostel after many fortnightly visits to the facilities as part of the programme.
Each fortnight the students are put through their paces in a range of physical and outdoor learning experiences aimed to help them reach their potential, both as they move through high school and beyond.
“It has been extra special and Ally created a fantastic and hectic two day programme and the outcomes have been very noticeable," Habib says.
“Every student’s leadership skills have improved dramatically. It’s not about sport talent, it’s about leadership, attitude, being part of a team and strong communication skills.
“As an example, I have watched one particular student really step up as an amazing leader over the two days. During the stay at the hostel, the students were responsible for cooking and cleaning and he really stepped up and took charge of the kitchen using his awesome communication skills.
“Confidence and communication have been the biggest areas of improvement. One of the outdoor activities was a log carry and at the start they were all yelling, but they then worked out team work and clear communication was the key to success."
Hislop says the group is working to develop a skill set physically, socially and mentally that sets them up for success in whatever pathway they choose in life and spending a night at the hostel saw them building a closer bond with each other.
“All the students put their best foot forward during the camp. They thrived in both individual and team challenges showing resilience and effectively applying interpersonal skills. It was a pleasure to see the group enthusiastic and thriving for personal success in challenges but also celebrating the success of their peers,” she says.
While at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health in Hastings, they completed a water safety course in the new 50m swimming pool; played a multi-sport game with Taradale Primary School; did cognition tests in the EIT Health Science heat chamber and enjoyed some mind skill exercises and balance exercises.
The goal of Wairoa Young Achievers Trust and the Wairoa College Aspiring Leadership Programme is to ensure their overall wellbeing, develop leadership qualities, physical abilities and cultural identity, and make a positive difference for the youth and the community.
Success is based on students developing resilience and strong communication skills that can be put to good use at home, school, in sports and out in the community.
The programme has been running for five years and Wairoa Young Achievers Trust chief executive Denise Eaglesome-Karekare says that other measures of success has been exposing rangatahi to role models, their own self-development and a high-performance facility.
“I think having people like Ally and the HBCFCT team identifying those rangatahi that have the potential to reach their true potential is what is important in this programme and as we fund the programme in its entirety we will also support those individuals who do reach that potential financially,” she says.
