Junior Cactus Programme producing great results

Kaitao Middle School students top off their Cactus programme with a finale truck pull on Saturday. Photo/Stephen Parker

A pilot Junior Cactus programme involving Kaitao Middle School students has produced some "exceptional" results.

Run over eight weeks by the Rotorua Community Youth Centre Trust, with support and help from Kaitao Middle School staff, the New Zealand Fire Service, Rotorua District Council, police and NZ Army, the programme ended on Saturday with 22 young participants pulling a unimog down Queen's Dr in the Government Gardens.

Their "Longest Day" started at 6.30am with a run from Kaitao Middle School up Mountain Rd, where the students completed a memory quiz before being transported by unimog to the Aquatic Centre for swim skills. Activities at the New Zealand Fire Service Training Centre, paintball, a run through the Redwoods and a stretcher carry from Whakarewarewa clubrooms to the Government Gardens followed, before the finale truck pull.

The 11 and 12-year-olds who committed to the programme met early every Tuesday and Thursday, tackling a range of challenges including army drills, running, fitness circuits and water-based activities, followed by breakfast. Each session had an underlying theme, such as hard work, discipline, listening, the value of team work and goal setting.

Feedback from parents, teachers and sports coaches showed the programme had been an "exceptional" success, Rotorua Community Youth Centre Trust chairman Mike Keefe said.

"There was improved behaviour noticed in the case of some students and many parents and sports coaches saw a real improvement in fitness and a positive attitude."

The driving forces behind the pilot Junior Cactus Programme were local police officer and Rotorua Community Youth Centre Trust trustee Jo Spry and Kaitao Middle School deputy principal Kim Solomon. It was funded through the Ministry of Social Development's OSCAR (Out of School Care and Recreation) programme and was the first Cactus programme in Rotorua to be run for intermediate-aged children.

"We've had some great support and assistance from other organisations and we couldn't have done it without them," Mr Keefe said. "There's also a huge amount of planning and preparation that goes into running a programme like this and we're very grateful to everyone who played a part."

The trust would seek to secure funding to continue with the Junior Cactus programme, Mr Keefe said.