Tuāwhana
The name Tuāwhana, meaning 'kicking towards the future', derives from our recognition of the capacity of sport to draw people of different ages, backgrounds, and identities together into a space of collaboration and connection.
The Tuāwhana programme responds to the need of greater peer support for intermediate school students transitioning into high school, and the potential in older students to awhi others through the challenge.
Using football and Adventure Based Therapy (ABT) as a meeting ground, Tuāwhana youth workers connect with groups of year eights and year nines over a ten-week period, developing meaningful relations in a group mentoring setting and exploring values related to teamwork and leadership. We later work to bridge the gap between the groups through shared experiences and encourage a community to take root in their overlap at the same school, with the older students acting as tuākana-like figures to the younger group.
For more information about the programme and plans, contact Jonty.
