Pupils line up to revamp courts

CHALLENGE: Some of the 24 Year 8 students at Masterton Intermediate School who took up a YMCA Active Citizenship challenge and helped raise funds to repaint the lines marking out the netball and basketball courts at their school. PHOTO/NATHAN CROMBIE WTA291113NCBATTLE

Year 8 students at Masterton Intermediate School - armed with can-do attitudes and pots of paint - have redrawn some of their sporting battlelines.

The group of 24 students took up a YMCA challenge as part of an Active Citizenship programme and helped raise funds to repaint the old and faded lines marking out the netball and basketball courts at the school.

The students, selected to attend a YMCA leadership course at Camp Kaitoke, had to choose a project benefiting their community and decided to make school more fun at lunchtime.

The group started a funding drive in July and raised almost $600 towards the $1000 cost of remarking the courts. Principal Kara Mason said the lines had faded so much that they could barely be seen, although that all changed this week when the group added the final licks of paint on their chosen mission.

Masterton Intermediate School was one of three Wairarapa schools involved in YMCA Active Citizenship projects this year.

YMCA youth manager Debbie Houston-Tupou says the programme, run on contract with the Ministry of Youth Development, was also run at Makoura and Kurunui colleges.

"They start out at Camp Kaitoke. It gets them thinking about their community. They have to come out with a project. These ideas have to be the kids' ideas."

The Makoura College group raised $800 with a sausage sizzle, sweet shop and mufti day and plans to present the money to Te Awhina Cameron Community House in Masterton.

Kurunui College students ran two fundraising projects - one group raising $230 with a sausage sizzle for the King Street Arts centre in Masterton, which supports people with disabilities.

The second group of students ran a car wash at the South Wairarapa Working Men's Club and raised $150 for St John Ambulance.

Ms Houston-Tupou said the Wairarapa was very supportive of things for youth and people wanted to know what was going on with their young people.

For more information contact YMCA youth manager Debbie Houston-Tupou on 04 568 3252 ext 803 or debbie@ymcawellington.org.nz