we’re committed to the development of young adult leaders, within a context of sustainable best practice

In the international sphere as a Global Action Partner (GAP) with UNESCO and the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDS), we focus primarily on the following

Quality Education

Clean Water

Biodiversity

Partnerships

In the NZ arena our current field programmes focus on Water and Bio-Diversity, fostering, promoting and facilitating the celebration of the diversity and beauty of our environment and different cultures in New Zealand (and globally). We emphasise cultural harmony and understanding. Quality experiential education, socio-emotional learning and partnership-building are central to the above. Overall a holistic look at the impact of our actions and behaviours.

We run week-long programmes focused on tackling the important issues facing our future at the most grassroots level, each custom designed for the regions in which they operate:

  • Fashion Redesigned - Otago

  • Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) - National

Over the course of a week, students are mentored by lecturers, teachers and community educators from a range of backgrounds to provide support and guidance into becoming independent learners that can share ideas collaboratively and work together to problem solve challenges along the way.

““I think it is a strength of the programme that we were never told something and expected to believe it. Instead we discussed, debated, and deliberated everything before coming to our own well-reasoned conclusions. The confidence that this has given me has encouraged me to speak out about issues that matter to me and has given me the determination to make a difference to the sustainability of our planet”.

— George Watson, Darfield High School

Tuākana/Tēina Model

Our programmes are aimed at 18-25 year olds, students in their final years at high school or who are pursuing study at a tertiary institution. The year 12/13 'tēina' are supported over the programme by the tertiary 'tuākana'. It's important that in applying, tertiary students understand that this will be an opportunity for them to take the lead, arrange and organise activities and energisers, and will be asked to assist with pre-trip preperation (such as the big supermarket shop!).

Graduate Programmes

In early 2019 we piloted our first advanced Leadership (ALP) or Graduate programme, at Mt Aspiring, working with exceptional Graduate students from across New Zealand.  The question is often asked by students and stakeholders 'what next?' Our aim with the ALP program is to go some way to answering this question directly, taking the passion of graduates and focusing it specifically on both their own personal behaviour change and consequent action that will positively impact their community - ‘Acts of Kindness’. A follow-on ALP program was run at Jo John’s Glenthorne Station in North Canterbury in late August. The latest ALP program was held in Kaikoura over a weekend in August 2020 with a focus on envisioning and then actioning a ‘moonshot’ of systems and behaviour change to leverage the current opportunity to select a future direction.