Kawerau youth secure funding
19 June 2015
The 12 teenagers came up with a proposal for six events and applied to the Ministry of Youth Development, which awarded funding for four of them.
Each event was planned for the 2015-2016 financial year and supported the youth council’s four key guidelines for this period – ahurutanga (comfort), kaitiakitanga (trust), mauri ora (celebrating achievement) and hauora (wellbeing).
Kawerau District Council approved the proposal on April 28 before it was sent off to the Ministry.
The first event planned is “Do you dig it” which will involve a series of workshops to teach young people how to prepare, plant, and maintain a community garden.
Kawerau District Council youth projects co-ordinator JJ Rika said the project would develop an edible garden and create an ongoing commitment for the young people and community to remain involved.
“Kawerau on the rise” is a week of activities, workshops and speakers on health related issues.
Mr Rika said this would be co-ordinated and co-facilitated by the youth council in partnership with various other youth focused groups and agencies from around the district.
The youth council also planned to partner with other youth agencies to host a four-day youth event called “Ktown Summit of Change.”
He said the summit would function like a conference and help build and strengthen relationships with other youth councillors from around New Zealand invited to Kawerau for the event.
The fourth event to receive funding was “Kawerau Holiday Vibes”, which would include four days of school holiday activities, focused on the same four guidelines.
Mr Rika said one project which missed out on funding was the “Wai Ora scheme,” a series of workshops designed to increase youth involvement with the Tarawera River.
“Kawerau Spirit Day” also failed to receive Government funding.
This proposal included a range of workshops and activities to provide a space for young and old Kawerau residents to work together.
Mr Rika said this was designed to create more youth respect for the elderly within the town by providing an opportunity to bridge the divide between generations.
In spite of the last two projects missing out on Government funding, he said the council would try to find a way to make them possible.
Source: Whakatane Beacon