Hon Nanaia Mahuta
Minister of Youth Affairs
Associate Minister of Local Government

28 May 2007
Media Statement

Government funds innovative local youth projects

Youth Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today that 16 local councils have been granted funding of more than $1.3million for a range of innovative youth projects to help young people gain local employment, further education or training.

"It's great to see central and local government along with the community, working together by investing in the needs of young people to improve engagement, foster leadership, increase participation and conduct a whole range of events and activities for young people," says Nanaia Mahuta.

The Youth Development partnership fund, administered by the Ministry of Youth Development, works with local councils to help achieve positive social, economic and wellbeing outcomes for young people by developing work and learning skills.

"The fund prioritises education, training and employment, and aligns to the priorities set by the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs. The successful projects range from enterprise, further learning enhancement, leadership, participation, and producing youth friendly resources."

The Minister says the fund aims to encourage community groups and councils to work together on local projects that target the specific needs of young people.

"It's an opportunity to take an innovative approach to youth development and can make a real impact."

Past projects include the Dunedin City Council's Audacious Business Challenge which provided young entrepreneurs with the inspiration and tools required to see their business ideas through to fruition. The project has led to young people securing successful employment opportunities and connected them with mentors and business partnerships. Two ideas were selected for the television programme, Dragon's Den.

The Far North Futures Project provided motivated young people, who were registered with Work and Income, with work experience in local businesses, drivers licence and first aid training as well as personal development to better prepare them for the workforce.

"These are just a couple of examples where the Youth Development partnership fund has made a difference to communities thinking differently about meeting the needs of their young people."

"It's great to be announcing these successful projects at the end of Youth Week 2007, a national campaign celebrated over the last week to recognise the positive contribution that young people make to their communities."

ENDS

Further information:

The successful Councils and projects are:

Territorial Authority Project Name Contribution (including GST)
Tasman District Council Jam Mag - Tasman Youth Magazine $28,400
Rodney District Council Project 300 $64,475
Whangarei District Council Tautoko Teina $211,560
New Plymouth District Council Young@art Youth Festival $34,000
Kaipara District Council Nga totara haemata o Kaipara $103,000
Napier City Council Ka Hao Te Rangatahi $75,000
Waimakariri District Council Learning Towards Earning $150,000
Wellington City Council WYPE Participatory Action Research Crew $110,000
Wellington City Council Youth Capacity Building at Zeal $40,600
South Waikato District Council South Waikato Connect Youth $113,400
Westland District Council YECH Youth Engineering Challenge $31,100
Gisborne District Council Kokiri Taiohi – Phase 2 $132,000
Wanganui District Council Make It Take It $112,500
Grey District Council Making it Easy $55,890
Manukau City Council Community Computer Clubhouse Online $44,800
Tauranga District Council All About Heart $75,000
TOTAL FUNDING (incl GST) $1,381,725 $1,381,725

Successful projects to be funded by the Youth Development partnership fund in 2007

Tasman District Council - Jam Mag - Tasman Youth Magazine, $28,400
This project seeks to work with a team of young people in the Tasman region to develop skills in the media industry through producing a publication written by youth for youth. It is seen as a way to educate and raise the awareness of young people in the region about education, employment and training opportunities, and for young readers from across the Tasman region to gain a sense of connectedness with other young people through sharing ideas, issues and information about local events via the magazine.

Rodney District Council – Project 300, $64,475
In partnership with Rodney Economic Development Trust, this project aims to address the issue of students in the district leaving school with no formal qualifications. It will consult with young people to determine factors contributing to this trend, and implement programmes to address the issues highlighted.

Whangarei District Council - Tautoko Teina (Supporting a younger sibling), $211,560
This is a mentoring programme for young people in Whangarei and Northland. Mentors will be recruited from; the mainstream community, youth workers, churches, Iwi organisations, tertiary organisations, government departments and corporate/private businesses.

New Plymouth District Council - Young@art Youth Festival, $34,000
In partnership with the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust, this project will provide a youth festival to the Taranaki region during the school and university winter holidays. The festival will be made up of workshops, performances and exhibitions and will seek to involve young people as audience, developers and as service providers, it will provide opportunities for young performers and artists to showcase their work and develop their skills.

Kaipara District Council - Nga totara haemata o Kaipara, $103,000
This project will will give eight to ten young people the opportunity to take part in a one year pilot programme designed to give young people a voice in Council and to be active participants in the development of their community.

Napier City Council - Ka Hao Te Rangatahi, $75,000
They will deliver a kaupapa Maori based initiative, led to a target group of male Maori youth in Maraenui, exhibiting violent behaviour and who are potential targets for recruitment into local gangs.

Waimakariri District Council - Learning Towards Earning, $150,000
In partnership with the Youth Development and Opportunities Trust, this project aims to provide a resource centre offering transitional opportunities for young people to progress from school, through practical training and on to employment.

Wellington City Council - WYPE Participatory Action Research Crew, $110,000
In partnership with the Wellington Boys' and Girls' Institute Inc, this project will offer young people opportunities in the research and organisation of a series of projects and events, based around promoting creativity, run by youth for youth.

Wellington City Council - Youth Capacity Building at Zeal, $40,600
In partnership with Zeal Education Trust, a facilitator will be employed to manage the expanded Cutting Edge programme to train young people who wish to volunteer in the administrative area. Cutting Edge is a course, run by a team of volunteers and helpers, which teaches students the art of leadership.

South Waikato District Council - South Waikato Connect Youth, $113,400
The first part of the project will set about creating and developing three key youth events, bringing together the South Waikato Youth Council and the Raukawa Young Leaders. The second part of the project will see South Waikato Connect Youth develop an information exchange (Youth i-Xchange) as a place where youth can access information on a range of subjects, activities and services available for youth.

Westland District Council - YECH Youth Engineering Challenge, $31,100
This project aims to organise and run a trolley derby where teams of young people work with mentors to design and build their own trolleys to a required safety standard. It aims to foster links with potential employers and businesses in engineering and related trades, with a view to creating a climate of informed choice in school leavers and youth in the community.

Gisborne District Council - Kokiri Taiohi, $132,000
In partnership with Te Runanga O Turanganui A Kiwa, this project aims to offer a range of strategies designed to develop leadership skills among Taiohi, focusing on Maori within Turanganui A Kiwa, and support them to access higher education and sustain quality, meaningful employment.

Wanganui District Council - Make It Take It, $112,500
This project aims to enable young people to develop and deliver projects and events designed to meet their needs within the community.

Grey District Council - Making it Easy, $55,890
This project aims to reduce barriers to education for young parents by providing learners and their children with transportation and a safe learning environment, specifically designed for young families and whanau.

Manukau City Council - Community Computer Clubhouse Online, $44,800
This project aims to provide youth in Otara with the opportunity for high level information and communication technology access and to establish Clubhouse 274 as a fully operational after-school drop-in facility.

Tauranga City Council - All About Heart, $75,000
This project aims to identify up to 20 students in each Bay of Plenty Secondary School and provide them with a comprehensive training and support package for youth coaches and umpires. The training will include leadership management and marketing skills along with fitness, health and well being and aims to provide them with the skills to make life long contributions to the communities in which they live.

TOTAL FUNDING (incl GST) $1,381,725

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