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A programme of intervention for young offenders, and those at risk of offending, has been so successful that it is expanding, and will be based at a hub in Ōrewa.
Initially, the gym-based programme was trialled with eight boys from Whangaparāoa College, and two who were not attending school. It started eight months ago and has since brought in seven girls, mostly from the college.
None of the boys have reoffended since the programme began.
It is run by two local PT instructors, Willy Wilson and Alistair Wotten, supported by the police Youth Aid team.
Wilson, a former professional rugby player, says the model of using physical activity to connect with troubled youth worked in his own life.
“I was one of those kids getting in trouble, and sport saved me,” he says. “The values I learned from team sport – discipline, respect and attitudes to work – changed my life.”
He says he has seen “massive changes” in the kids who he and the team have been working with.
“They are turning up to school, and their behaviour, in school and at home, has vastly improved,” he says. “They are playing rugby and continued coming to the gym, even in the school holidays, to train.”
He says they discovered that some of the boys about to start the PT session had not eaten since the day before. After connecting with Salt Trust and Love Soup, each session now begins with food and mentoring.
Rodney Youth Aid SergeantJon Williams says setting up a proactive intervention project, with wrap-around support services, has been his goal since he began working with Rodney Youth Aid. He initiated the police patrols at Whangaparāoa College (HM August 21, 2023), which have wound down, and flowed into the gym programme.
Finding a centre to operate from was key to the plan, and recent changes at the HBC Youth Centre in Ōrewa facilitated that.
There have been big changes at the centre, including the departure of a number of long-term staff. Remediation work currently underway is required to bring the building, where the centre has been based since the 1970s, up to code.
Once that is complete, hopefully next term, the centre will be relaunched as Hibiscus Youth Hub, something its board chair, Ali Butler, is excited about. It includes employing Wilson and Wotten to oversee the hub, including running the gym programme for youth offenders and a preventative one for Year 7 and 8 children.
The vision is to work with community groups and offer wrap around services such as alternative education, career guidance, mentoring and health. A small group of retired teachers has volunteered to work one-on-one with students to improve literacy and numeracy.
Funding has been an ongoing challenge for the youth centre, with grants never guaranteed and income generated from holiday and after school programmes. Butler says those programmes have ended, but they intend to develop new ones including a breakfast club.
“We intend to be primarily funded through our programmes, with direct funding from government, community support, business sponsorships and fundraising initiatives,” she says.
Williams says the centre will enable coordination of services, many of which were existing.
He says early intervention is a key focus.
“If we don’t get it right with the young ones, they become a problem for the community, so we see big benefits, long-term,” he says. “It is hard work. There is a lot going on for these kids and although Whangaparāoa College is doing all it can, and more, it’s a community issue.”
The aim is to also bring Ōrewa College into the programme.
“This is a game changer for the Coast,” Williams says. “Once the centre is up and running, we will have solutions for this community.”
