May 22 2002
Budget 2002
Funding Boost Secures Future Of Successful Youth Development Programme

The Labour-Alliance Government is putting its commitment to positive youth development into practice with a $350,000 a year funding boost for The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge, Youth Affairs Minister Laila Harré announced today.

Known until recently as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, The Challenge provides developmental opportunities to 14 to 25 year olds least likely to have access to these in their own communities.

Laila Harré says the government’s funding commitment will give the programme ongoing security and enable it to plan into the future.

It also responds to a clear and consistent demand from communities for positive and preventative programmes that challenge young people and help them grow their skills.

“The design of this programme is closely aligned to the youth development approach set out in the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa, and it shares the strategy’s vision that all young people have access to a range of development opportunities,” she said.

“It operates according to an internationally tried and tested formula that can be used by a wide range of community organisations, government agencies, iwi groups, churches schools and youth organisations, so we can safely anticipate a positive return on our investment in the form of happy, healthy young people.”

There are currently 800 registered groups that can use the award and 15,000 active participants in New Zealand.

The new funding will be used to assist the development of resource materials and the training of new and existing volunteer leaders.

It will also be used to develop new Challenge programmes that encourage wider participation by young Maori and Pacific people and those from other ethnic minorities.

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