MOVING FORWARD: Excel Rotorua has a new set of projects benefiting local youth. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Rotorua is "leading the charge in the education sector" with 13 new Excel Rotorua projects to help local youth achieve.
The new action plans follow on from the success of Social Sector Trial Excel Rotorua's first 12 projects, rolled out over a two year period from 2013. The 13 projects
are being led by a
range of community and Government agencies with the aim of increasing collaboration between sectors to benefit youth.
The Social Sector Trials focus on improving outcomes that reflect the needs of the community.
Rotorua is the only centre with a strong focus on building initiatives to improve education outcomes.
Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Trust general manager Roana Bennett told the Rotorua Daily Post collaboration between sectors worked well because "all agencies have an interest in the projects we have created".
"We are achieving two things with Excel Rotorua. On one level it's about making a real difference in the lives of real people, then on another level it's providing an opportunity for all agencies to work together and collaborate for shared outcomes."
Ms Bennett said the first two years of Excel Rotorua were about "internal collaboration".
"When we started Excel Rotorua it was about getting schools and education agencies to work together and share ideas. That is still continuing but now we are bringing in outside agencies that cater to other needs not dealt with at school."
She said the project partners were "very willing" to work together and expected to see successful outcomes for all 13 projects.
"We are the only social sector trial site with a primary focus on education and we are ensuring first and foremost our whanau and rangitahi benefit from the efforts."
The 13 Projects:
Action 1 - Tiaho Tamariki programme:
"The programme will increase early childhood education participation of high needs families by taking a more assertive outreach approach to support family engagement." Marita Ranclaud, Lakes District Health Board.
Outcome: Increased participation in early childhood education.
Action 2 - Nathan Wallis workshops: "Lakes District Health Board wants every adult with young children to understand basic brain development. Nathan Wallis will be delivering workshops with an emphasis on attachment and developing empathy.-Marita Ranclaud, Lakes District Health Board. Outcome: Increased participation in early childhood education.
Action3-Early childhood provider professional development: "This project is about making sure clusters of early childhood centres and primary schools are collaborating to make the transition for 5-year-olds as easy as possible." - Marita Ranclaud, Lakes District Health Board. Outcome: Increased literacy and numeracy achievement.
Action 4 - Virtual Youth Team: "This team of services will provides a pathway for schools to address issues of disengagement in education. Rather than passing a youth from service to service, everything they need to address can be accessed at one point." - Steve Holmes, Rotorua Youth Centre. Outcome: Successful transitions into further education, training and employment. Reduced risky behaviour.
Action 5 - Whanau NCEA programme: "We have found most whanau want to support their rangitahi achieve NCEA but they don't understand the system so we are holding a series of evening sessions to explain how NCEA and the credit system work so those families can help their children succeed. We have modelled this off a Ministry of Education programme called Power Up designed for Pacific Island families." - Roana Bennett, Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Trust. Outcome: Increased success at NCEA Level 2.
Action 6 - Enhancing Maui Tu initiative: "This already established initiative is about identifying 10 learners between 12 and 18-years-old who have been disengaged from learning for two or more years. This programme works to get those youth up to their respective levels so they can re-enter education, training or employment." - Roana Bennett, Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Trust. Outcome: Increased success at NCEA Level 2.
Action 7 - Additional resourcing: "We have been working with three local high schools and have identified a small number of students whose potential to pass NCEA was borderline. We accessed additional resources to aid them in passing." - Roana Bennett, Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Trust. Outcome: Increased success at NCEA Level 2.
Action 8 - Supporting mayor's taskforce for jobs: "We are aiming for more youth-ready employers and career focussed young people as well as more work exploration, experience and job opportunities that tailor young people's learning to our local industries. We will do this with physical and virtual information hubs and more activity based learning programmes." - Barbara MacLennan, Kowhai Health Associates. Outcome: Reduced risky behaviour. Successful transitions into further education, training and employment.
Action9-Driver licensing training: "We are aiming to break down any barriers preventing youth from gaining their driver licence, focusing on cost. This will remove another obstacle for youth to gain employment." - Steve Holmes, Rotorua Youth Centre. Outcome: Successful transitions into further education, training and employment.
Action 10-Gap analysis: "No matter what resources or funding is available for Rotorua youth there is still a small percentage we are not getting through to. This project is about stepping back and analysing the resources available to us and identifying what is missing that can bring that last 10 per cent up back up to engagement. An evidence based report will be produced which will be used for future engagement and youth oriented strategies." - Roana Bennett, Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Trust. Outcome: Reduced risky behaviour and increased success at NCEA Level 2.
Action 11-Youth leadership workshop: "This project is about setting up workshops for youth to hear about what they think they need to make smooth transitions from education to employment and what we can do to help them achieve that transition."-Ben Hingston, Rotorua Youth Voice team. Outcome: Successful transitions and reduced risky behaviour.
Action 12 - Recognising abuse programme: "An abuse programme will be delivered by the Sophie Elliott Foundation to Year 12 students so they know and recognise even the most subtle signs of domestic violence." - Marita Ranclaud, Lakes District Health Board. Outcome: Reduced risky behaviour.
Action 13-Training victim support workers: "This project is about supporting the training of more victim support workers and ensuring they are trained to deal with children and young people who may not be victims of violence but have been exposed to it." - Marita Ranclaud, Lakes District Health Board. Outcome: Reduced risky behaviour.