Teens grasp second chance in class

LEARNING HUB: Wai Herena Timu says she loves attending the Youth Guarantee class.PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER

Wai Herena Timu left Tauranga Girls' College last year after becoming disillusioned with schooling.

The 17-year-old is now part of a Youth Guarantee class that is achieving national education goals almost on a par with peers in mainstream schools.

Ms Timu says she was not getting along with peers or teachers when she left Tauranga Girls' College.

She felt lost in a room of 30 students and missed school consistently. She says a counsellor suggested she enter the Youth Guarantee programme held at the YMCA on Devonport Rd.

"I was a bored person. I didn't get my NCEA Level 1 there [at college]. I told them I was going to leave school, anyways," she says.

When the Bay of Plenty Times visited the class, we met with students in a room full of laptop computers. Here, up to six tutors are available throughout the week.

Tutor Shane Law brings two teenagers outside for fresh air and attention. Ms Timu says that kind of individual support helped her earn three national certificates this year: NCEA Levels 1 and 2, and NCES. "We're like a family here. I love it. We do our work, but still have fun while doing it."

Administrators at the YMCA Tauranga, who facilitate The Youth Guarantee, say 81 per cent of students have earned qualifications in NCEA Level 1, 2 and the National Certificate in Employment Skills (NCES). Ministry of Education figures show the national average pass rate for NCEA Level 1 was 83 per cent last year. The class has about 11 full-time equivalent students who've earned 16 national certificates between them.

Part of what the kids say they love about the programme is its relationship with Sport Bay of Plenty. Students get twice-weekly physical instruction during boot camp and martial arts sessions at the Sport BOP facility down the street. Seventeen-year-old Thomas Palmer says boxing and cardio are easy ways "to get stress off my shoulders".

Thomas says he left his other school in August 2012. "I'm a slow learner and with 40 people in the class, I felt like I was getting left out. I got in a lot of trouble."

He has earned his NCEA Levels 1 and 2 and NCES certification since joining Youth Guarantee at the YMCA last November.

"They don't judge you at all here. You put your hand up and the tutors are there right away. Judy, she's been like a mum, and Shane's like a dad."

Tutor Shane Law says it's no mystery why the programme succeeds: a small class size. "Any tutor could achieve success here, but obviously, you gotta be invested in what you're doing." Mr Law says having caring adults around is key. "A lot of them have grown up without male role models or any role models. They all come to us with issues. Really, my goal is to give them a love for learning, because it's a lifetime thing."

YMCA Tauranga education manager Judy Kane says the fee-free Youth Guarantee is funded through the Ministry of Education and is part of contracts the YMCA holds nationally. Ms Kane says the Government supports the initiative to keep kids (aged 16 to 19) in the education system and wants them to achieve at least NCEA Level 2.

"It was with fear and trepidation I took over last year, but we got through it and got it right this year. We'd love for it to grow."

Other Bay of Plenty institutions take part in Youth Guarantee, including Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and technical schools such as a hair academies, and travel and tourism training centres.

TheYMCA's new chief executive, Calum Davie, says the organisation received $110,000 in government money this year for Youth Guarantee and $120,000 last year. "I've been amazed because I come from a corporate background, and these kids have exceptional skills and talents. The conventional system hasn't suited them. This is something for us to be proud of."