24-7 YouthWork

24-7 YouthWork is a long-term trust relationship between Aotea College & Adventure School and North Porirua Baptist Church, which provides paid part-time Youthworkers and makes accessible wholistic, wrap-around support to all young people in the North Porirua area.

24-7 YouthWork is an integrated in-school and out-of-school approach to youth work. We currently have two paid 24-7 Youth Workers & one volunteer youth worker:

Anne Davies-Colley is based at  Aotea College, Porirua & Dillon Cooks and Tanya Thom are based at Adventure School in Whitby.

24-7 YouthWork is a trust relationship between a local school and a local church in the context of the local community working together. The youth workers are involved both in-school and out-of-school with young people.

Schools are where all the young people are. It is where many of their problems surface and their significant social circles form. A great deal of a young persons day is spent at school and much of their life is concerned with it. Therefore, isolating their school experience from the rest of their life doesn't make sense.

Effective youth work through schools can help meet educational needs, but also the wider needs of healthy, growing, young people. Schools can be a place where youth workers can get alongside and encourage young people. Schools can also provide safe opportunities for personal invitations to a full range of activities and significant relationships that are available in the community.

When working in-school, the youth workers focus on:

• Supporting students. We complement and enhance the role of teachers through extracurriclar activities and providing a wholistic support network for students.

• Building positive relationships. This includes helping students relate to staff, their peers and significant young adults like our youth workers.

• Cultivating school spirit. Working alongside students, student council and staff in creating a safe and friendly environment where students enjoy their time at school and develop a sense of whanaungatanga (good citizenship).

• Leadership development. We encourage and strengthen individual students in leadership roles, through exploring issues such as communication, self esteem and trust.  Existing programmes such as peer support and the health curriculum can also be enhanced and developed by working in conjunction with the school.

• Integrating students with suitable out of school activities. Schools can provide safe opportunities for invitations to a full range of activities and significant relationships available in the community.

When working out-of-school, the youth workers focus on:

• Creating a loving, influential community with genuine relationships and effective, positive role-models that young people can trust.

• Helping young people reach their full potential.

• Leadership Development.

• Encouraging young people to find a sense of purpose and meaning.

• Providing a safe and fun environment.

• Integrating students from 24-7 YouthWork into our youth communities at SYC.