爆料社区

A programme to encourage rangatahi to try new physical activities has proven successful at Auckland鈥檚 M膩ngere College.

Auckland鈥檚 M膩ngere College finished last year on a high, marking a huge attendance rate on the last day of the year thanks to a new physical activity programme called The Big Move.

More than 550 students took part in a full school 鈥渉ave a go鈥� day that gave them a chance to try 16 different activities in a fun and inclusive environment. It also included students from their satellite school Sir Keith Hay.

It proved so successful M膩ngere College recorded its best-ever attendance on the last day of term four.

鈥淎ttendance at the end of the year can be a struggle for any secondary school but The Big Move changed that in this instance - we even had ex-students coming in to take part,鈥� says CLM Community Sport Rangatahi Recreation Adviser Natalie McNulty.

With funding from T奴 Manawa Active Aotearoa through CLM Community Sport, the initiative was co-designed with students and run in collaboration with school staff and 19 local providers.

鈥淧rior to the event we ran sessions on what active recreation is and can be and gave our rangatahi a blank canvas to choose activities. They chose the dynamic of the groups and the inclusion of the school k膩inga colours,鈥� says Natalie.鈥�

鈥淲orking with providers helped to support the local community and to offer students opportunities to continue their engagement with active recreation beyond the event. A list of opportunities outside of school were provided to students to continue connecting.鈥�

From boxing and martial arts to hip hop and siva afi (Samoan fire dancing) students say The Big Move gave them a chance to try new things, spend time with friends and do something other than classwork that helped their overall wellbeing and stress levels.鈥�

鈥淢ental health is a significant issue within the school. Working with the wellbeing team meant we were able to align it with mental health awareness week,鈥� says Natalie.

听

One student said it was a great way to finish their high school years and a great experience to have with their school mates.

Another said: 鈥業 enjoyed The Big Move because there were a variety of activities to participate in and there were things I could do which were out of my comfort zone鈥�.

Teachers also said it helped to grow school spirit and culture and some even discovered their own love for the likes of 鈥榵treme hip hop鈥�.

Watching students try new activities and give things a go was a highlight for teacher aide PJ Campbell.

鈥淪eeing the genuine happiness of our students as they engaged in activities they may never have done before was amazing.鈥濃��

As a result of The Big Move, the school鈥檚 boxing programme has had increased interest from students and there are plans to train students in siva afi and xtreme hip hop so they can, in turn, run sessions at school.

There are also plans to set up an archery club and get the school鈥檚 rock wall back in working order.鈥�

Best of all, The Big Move is likely to make a return to M膩ngere College again in 2024.

鈥淭he success of this event is all down to the collaboration,鈥� says Natalie.

鈥淭he students showed real organisation and leadership and staff weren鈥檛 afraid to jump in and be vulnerable trying out activities with students on the day.鈥�

鈥淢膩ngere College has an amazing wellbeing group that really understands the needs of their young people and the support needed for their wellbeing.鈥�