My Account
A college art project that has provided a major boost for students who find conventional schooling a challenge is seeking sponsorship so it can continue.
The scheme is the brainchild of Mahurangi College head of learning support Gaynor Tahitahi, who was looking for a way to build the self-belief of students who weren’t flourishing in a traditional classroom environment.
“I just wanted them to have a space where they didn’t have to worry about assessment criteria, success criteria, to have a space to breathe and a reprieve from the demands of the classroom,” she said.
Tahitahi decided to approach Snells Beach artist (and Mahurangi Matters cartoonist) James Nicholls to see if he could help.
“He came in and worked with these students and from the very beginning he established an immediate connection with them,” she said. “They had been quite isolated, but they cohered as a group – they were interacting and moving out of their comfort zone, but they found a tribe, a peer group, and the positive benefits spilled over into lots of other things.”
Nicholls said the key was providing the students with a space where they felt safe to put pen to paper and express themselves without being judged or graded.
“Some of them have gone through quite significant personal challenges, but they have become their own support group,” he said.
He has been working with Mahu students over the past two years, including online during lockdown, culminating in the creation and official unveiling last month of a mural on one of the school’s outside walls.
“The original idea was to enhance students’ self-belief and their mana, but they have ended up producing really vibrant, exciting and beautiful work,” Tahitahi said.
“This artwork is the end of a journey which James and I believe has been transformative to these young people’s self-belief. The feedback from parents has been amazing, too, and quite moving. They’ve seen huge changes in them.”
Not surprisingly, she wants to continue the art project with Nicholls next year, but has hit a funding hurdle. A previous local sponsor has moved out of the area and Covid-related funding accessed previously has now dried up. In addition, the latest deadline for applications for a Ministry of Education arts fund has passed and won’t reopen until next year.
“I so want James to continue working with students throughout next year but, as yet, I haven’t secured any funding,” Tahitahi says. “James and I would welcome the opportunity to talk more about this project in the hope of canvassing funding for next year for a similar project to continue.”
Around $30,000 is needed to keep the scheme going. Anyone who might be able to help should email g.tahitahi@mahurangi.school.nz
