Last month, The New Zealand Herald reported that New Zealand youth are among the worst-behaved in the OECD.

Interestingly, these findings go hand-in-hand with worsening truancy rates and higher reports of disengaged kids in our schools.

The Education Review Office (ERO) has proposed a range of recommendations to tackle this behaviour, emphasizing the need for improved teacher training, a cohesive national strategy, and clear guidelines for schools to address misconduct.

At Youthtown, we're committed to investing in our youth, providing safe spaces, fostering connections, nurturing communities, and offering mentorship to steer young individuals away from negative behaviours and towards educational engagement.

For over 92 years, Youthtown has been dedicated to the young people of Aotearoa. Many of you will remember the successful and iconic Nelson Street hub, recent media coverage has shed light on the struggles faced by young people, including mental health challenges and feelings of disconnection from their communities, often resulting in disruptive behaviour.

In response to these challenges, our goal is to expand the reach of our Youth Hubs nationwide, extending support to local communities and empowering youth as they navigate life's obstacles.

Our Youth Hubs serve as safe spaces for learning, peer connections, relationship-building with our trained youth workers, and active engagement with their surroundings. From cooking classes to outdoor adventures and mentoring programs, we offer a diverse range of activities tailored to meet the needs of young individuals.

Our dedicated youth workers witness first-hand the transformative impact of our programmes. For instance, hearing directly from a student how their connection to the hub reignited their motivation to attend school after a period of poor attendance is deeply rewarding.

Through collaboration with ImpactLab, which specializes in creating social value impact reports, our Youth Development programmes have reinvested close to $800,000 back into our communities, paving the way for brighter futures for our youth.

To ensure that our programmes remain accessible to those who need them most, we rely on the support of philanthropists, corporations, and government funding. 

We know that it costs over a million dollars annually to deliver Youth Hubs and we are hoping to expand these in more communities to meet the need, so if you're passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people or believe in providing them with opportunities to thrive in their environments, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can empower positive change and create brighter futures for the next generation.

Article added: Monday 22 April 2024