Whanganui schools' YESS Council getting students active

YESS Council 2021 - Back row: Eloise Bradshaw, Isis Dennison-Downie, Katie Ramage, Paris Munro, Flynn Johnson, Lachlan Fisher, Mataamua Biddle-Amaroa Nicholls. Front row from left: Abbey Peters, Morgan-Lee Cassidy, Sophie King. Photo / Supplied

In 2017 the YESS Council, the Youth Empowering Sport Squad, was formed to champion secondary school students to get active. YESS Council is made up of students from schools across Whanganui and at the beginning of 2020, Isis Dennison-Downie took up a role on the council. Isis soon became an integral part of the council's purpose, driving the message of inclusion and diversity, and has since taken up the unofficial title of senior member.

Sport Whanganui was instrumental in the establishment of the YESS Council. The idea behind the initiative is explained by Dinelle Saunders, tamariki activator at Sport Whanganui: "The YESS Council was formed to help ensure the voice of our local rangatahi is heard and provide opportunities to build confidence and capability. What better way to enhance opportunities for sport and active recreation for youth than by them creating and leading their own pathways to activation, bringing their peers along with them? The growth I have seen in our YESS Council members has been huge, they have had some great ideas that will continue on even after they move on from secondary school."
Isis describes the vision for the group, saying, "It's about empowering all students to be involved in physical activities – not just sport. Being physically active is not just good for our physical health, it helps take our mind off our worries, reduces stress, and is a great way to catch up with friends."

Isis describes the challenges for YESS Council when, shortly after taking up her role, the Covid pandemic struck, disrupting life in a way she had never experienced before.
"Everything was uncertain, we couldn't be sure any of the plans we made could go ahead. We were all isolated under lockdown and just trying to stay on track with study was a challenge," she says.

Despite the disruptions, the 11 members of YESS Council representing Whanganui Girls College, Whanganui City College, Cullinane College, Whanganui High School, and Whanganui Collegiate, continued with their collective vision. Isis has found the different voices around the table have helped her get a better understanding of a range of views, explaining, "I've really enjoyed getting to connect with the other schools through YESS, hearing different ideas, sharing my own, really builds a bigger picture of what the youth community needs. The group represents year 9 through to year13, and ideas across the age groups are different too."

Isis is studying for year 13 exams and is reaching the end of her time with YESS. It's been a busy year for her with study, part-time work, and sport commitments. Isis has represented Whanganui Girls College in First 11 football and hockey, and plays touch rugby and volleyball too. In fact, it was her commitment to coaching and refereeing sport in the community that led to Isis taking up the role on YESS.

With any group, relationships with key people help drive change. YESS is building a wider network to ensure the voice of rangatahi is heard. Access to school coaches and sports codes are crucial to creating change, and the team has plans to strengthen those networks.

One of the great outcomes for YESS in 2021 was having the Whanganui Secondary Schools Dodgeball Tournament, held on August 9, just prior to lockdown. The event had the largest participation so far in its three-year history and, in a year when many events have been cancelled, it was a great opportunity for some fun and connection. Isis reflects on her time with YESS and describes her biggest learning, saying, "I've really enjoyed learning about what happens behind the scenes for events, and learning about the process. There's so much that goes into planning events and it's amazing to see it finally come to life after all the hard work."

Isis Dennison-Downie playing hockey for Whanganui Girls College First 11. Photo / Supplied

The purpose of YESS is important and it's great to see rangatahi taking the lead to build a better future by being a voice for their community. A huge thanks to all the YESS members: Morgan-lee Cassidy, Katie Ramage, Isis Dennison-Downie, Sophie King, Eloise Bradshaw, Abbey Peters, Mataamua Biddle-Amaroa Nicholls, Lachlan Fisher, Flynn Johnston, Paris Munro, and Mackenzie Morgan. As year 13 students, Paris, Flynn, and Mackenzie will also be moving on to the next stage of their lives. We wish them all the best for the future.

In terms of the future of YESS, Isis hopes to see a good pool of boys and girls taking the group forward with a passion for the vision and purpose of YESS.