Why bring Future Leaders to the Far North?

Northland consistently returns some of the highest unemployment figures in New Zealand. Young people currently account for 19.5% of unemployment in the area. (Work and Income Regional Plan for 2006 report). Among the challenges young people face in the region are a lack of life and career opportunities, and a lack of role models in their lives.

It is important that the young women who have leadership potential be supported, nurtured and empowered to become tomorrow’s future leaders. They can then take their skills back to their families, schools and local communities. This is the original over-arching aim of the programme, creating tools for leadership which are invested back into the community, we are not taking people away, we want to leave them there.  This way the entire Northland community will benefit – from a new generation of empowered youth able to affect change.

“This programme means being able to do different
things that I would not have had the opportunity to do.” 
Far Nth Student from 08 evaluation report

History of the Far North Programme

We launched the YWCA Future Leaders Programme in the Far North in July of 2007; it is now at the end of its second full year.  Future Leaders Far North is a “satellite” of the YWCA Auckland, and although locally driven and based in Kaikohe, it is supervised and funded by our Auckland office.

The aim of the Programme (which is entering its eighth year in Auckland) is to support and empower promising young women by providing opportunities for them to reach their full potential and to become leaders and role models in their communities.  This is a four to five year mentoring programme for students from decile 1-4 schools that is provided free to participants and their families.

The Schools

There are two schools involved in the Far North Future Leaders programme, Okaihau College and Bay of Islands College.  We started with a total of 17 and 16 from the colleges, there has been a high attrition rate and only 13 of the original 33 remain.  This year we took on another intake of 6 students from each school.  The total on the programme in the Far North is now 25.

Programme Highlights of the year:

• End of year (2008) celebration ceremony,
• January camp at Leigh,
• an adventure outing at Action World in Paihia, a students,
• family and mentors barbeque,
• Youth Week – a visit and workshop with the Kaikohe Volunteer Fire Brigade.
• Workshops included: making inspirational ribbon boards, a goal setting workshop followed by a horse trek.  Study skills and stress coping skills followed by a speedboat ride.

“I didn’t think that I could be a leader but since I hooked up with this more and more I see that I could.”
A Far North student

 Future Leaders Evaluation Far North

This month we will start an evaluation of the Future Leaders Programme. The same lead consultant (Shona Ballinger) from the recent 2009 Evaluation will be conducting this evaluation. She will speak to students, their mentors and families. The last Far North research was in-house, conducted in 2007, this report (due 31 October 2009) will give us vital information about our work in the Far North.

For further information, please contact:

Desire'e Andrews-Upperton
Far North Mentee Coordinator
ph: 027 290 3312
desiree@akywca.org.nz

Far North YWCA Office
7 Raihara Street
Kaikohe
Phone: 09 4076452
PO Box 253
Kaikohe 0405