Kerre Woodham: A worthy scheme

I met some amazing young people on Wednesday night. These are not the kids from the wrong side of the tracks you normally read about in the newspapers, although I have no doubt that some of them will make headlines one day.

These are quiet achievers. The kids from low-decile schools who have managed to succeed despite starting off without many of the advantages kids from financially secure families take for granted.

The First Foundation awarded its annual scholarships this week, scholarships that are so much more than money. The foundation knows that many talented young people have so many barriers to overcome.

It's not just the cost of education; for many, the concept of tertiary education is foreign. They have no family members who have gone before them; there are no role models who have made the transition from school to university within their community and there's pressure - often self-imposed - on them to earn and contribute to the meagre household coffers.

First Foundation scholarships don't just offer financial assistance for course fees. Businesses are partnered with students to offer part-time paid work experience, and one-on-one mentors are provided for four years.

After that, these bright young Kiwis fly. The First Foundation team was worried at the start of the year. In the middle of the worst recession the country had seen in many a long year, they thought businesses simply wouldn't have any spare money.

It's a tribute to the foundation and its students that more scholarships were awarded this year than in any other. Forty young people will realise their dreams, thanks to the generosity of New Zealand companies.

These kids are worth investing in. One young woman came to New Zealand three years ago. She learnt English from scratch yet in a short space of time is achieving merit and excellence in her course work. She helps her mother support the family with a paper run, she is on the student and the sports council, she's a student librarian and she plays three different sports for her school. She works part-time at a rest home and is a Sunday School teacher.

Another young woman has worked part-time at her local New World to help support her mother, who suffered a stroke 20 years ago. She's in her school's concert band, she's a school librarian and she is an excellent scholar.

All 40 kids' resumes show similar qualities. They're brilliant all-rounders, desperate for the sniff of a chance to show the world what they can do and they're grateful for the opportunity that's been afforded them through the generosity of businesses and the First Foundation.

We should be grateful to these businesses too because as a country we'll reap the benefits of these extraordinary young people achieving their full potential.