From pain to purpose: How dirt bikes are changing young lives in Paengaroa

Youth Encounter bike programme participants at Paengaroa.

Youth Encounter is celebrating three years in Paengaroa with its transformative dirt bike therapy programme – the first of its kind worldwide.

The Christian charity in rural Te Puke was born over a decade ago from a story of pain and struggle – this was channelled to fuel a vision of empowering youth to embrace life fully and thrive, Live Life Wide Open.

Youth Encounter’s unique programmes have gained attention for their potential to foster cognitive growth and emotional wellbeing among youth, using dirt bikes as a tool of engagement.

They use off-road dirt bike riding to promote positive development and resilience.

Youth Encounter chief executive Mary Wanhill, or Scary Mary, was a freestyle motocross rider.

In 2009, a career-ending injury shattered her dreams of achieving more world firsts in the male-dominated sport.

“I lay in my hospital bed for months with only a 20% chance of my leg recovering from a severe trimalleolar ankle break, where my ankle was broken in three places, displaced, and dislocated,” Mary said.

“On top of that, my other leg was also broken. Orthopaedic specialists were called in to see if they could repair the damage using open reduction with internal fixation, involving the insertion of a plate and numerous screws to stabilise and heal my legs.”

Mary and Joel Wanhill are behind the Paengaroa-based Youth Encounter Trust.

Mary and husband Joel founded Youth Encounter further down the track after she was called to study counselling to support young people in their journeys.

“My role involves providing vision and leadership, creating a culture that empowers individuals to unleash their God-given potential. Witnessing people fulfil their creation and live abundantly is my ultimate passion.”

Hundreds of participants have gone through the bike therapy programme over the past decade.

Mary said the programme is a powerful tool of engagement with a holistic approach to transforming young people and seeing them thrive.

More than a decade later, both the youth and the programme are thriving.

“It means that it works, it’s successful to us because it’s continually growing and we’re continuing to see fantastic results from it,” Mary said.

“The highlight is always seeing the young people empowered. It’s awesome when you bump into former participants, and they start retelling what they learnt and how it helped them later. That’s the biggest highlight when you know it’s impacted and made a difference in their life.”

In recent years, Youth Encounter has gained its own purpose-built premises.

“We now have our own property and track that we developed. Prior to that, we were using a local track and area,” Mary said.

“We’ve been able to build a purpose-built space, especially for the dirt bike therapy, to facilitate it on. The track is built to work for us and the modules and learning people want. We’re really seeing how much easier it flows and it has increased our capacity.”

The Wanhills are grateful for the opportunities they have had to help youth and to be able to do it in the beautiful Bay of Plenty scenery.

“Let’s work together to see our people thrive, that sense of ‘living life wide open’ and that’s what we’re here for, to bring the best out in our young people. To bring healing where needed and empower them into living their best life,” Mary said.

“Let’s do it together and find ways together to bring impact.”

Visit the Youth Encounter website for more information, to donate or to volunteer.

Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined NZME in 2020.