A series of activities organised by PACT, and funded by the Active Southland-administered Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund, is changing the lives of the young people involved. 

PACT is a community-based support organisation helping children and young people with lived experience of mental health adversity, working with them to improve their mental health, self-esteem, and social skills. 

Community Support Worker Alex Thurlow said youth involved in the PACT day programme were often not engaged in a mainstream school environment and could miss out on valuable experiences and opportunities that went hand in hand with the traditional school system. 

Young people involved in the programme also usually have low self esteem, low confidence, and feelings of low self-worth. 

PACT applied to Active Southland for Tū Manawa funding to provide opportunities for rangatahi to participate in a range of new activities, including cycling, a trip to Stewart Island, and experiences such as the ropes course and kayaking with Adventure Southland.  

Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa provides funding for programmes or projects delivering play, active recreation and sport experiences for tamariki and rangatahi. The fund has a particular focus on groups who are less active, including girls and young women, disabled people, and those living in higher deprivation communities. 

The experiences had been eye opening for the youth involved, many of whom had not participated in them before, Alex said. 

“The outcomes we wanted to achieve from this funding were increased confidence, participation, and to provide new experiences for the youth. We never knew the extent of how much this funding would help the youth but thanks to it we have provided them with new experiences they wouldn’t normally get the chance to experience, we have watched their confidence grow, and helped them to be active in the community.” 

One participant had never ridden a bike before, and after the experience with Cycling Southland, had discovered a newfound love, and planned to continue cycling in her neighbourhood, Alex said. 

“We had two young people that their confidence grew enough that by the third session they were on the track and doing a time trial...Another was completing challenges set for him, with Cycling Southland staff impressed with his skill. This encouragement boosted the child’s confidence.” 

Feedback from the youth was that the experience had “made me feel so much better about myself. I had a few anxious moments, but it made me feel good”. 

Feedback from the other activities was equally positive, Alex said. 

“Hearing this feedback was awesome. It was an experience that the youth will never forget and it bonded them as classmates. As staff, it felt so good seeing the huge smiles they had on their faces the whole time...These kids were doing things they never thought they were capable of and it made them proud of themselves.” 

Active Southland Rangatahi Team manager Steve Gear said the purpose of Tū Manawa was to encourage and support more young people to get active, and the feedback from the PACT experience showed how valuable those experiences could be. 

The key would be for Active Southland to continue working with regional sports organisations, clubs and organisations involved in active recreation to help them provide opportunities and experiences that met the needs of more rangatahi in our community, including those who wanted to be involved in competitive sports, and those who wanted more social, ad hoc-type opportunities. 

“Our rangatahi are telling us what they want, and we really need to be listening to them, so that we can reverse the drop off in participation rates as kids progress through their teenage years. It’s something we need to all be working on together, and Active Southland is committed to supporting this outcome.” 

Article added: Friday 03 June 2022