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Niki Arnold is training as a coach with the Billy Graham Academy which makes use of boxing to mentor children.
Mahurangi social agencies have welcomed more money from the Government for counselling for children amid a worrying surge of anxiety among young people.
Last month, Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced that the Government was investing a further $75.8 million to provide more counsellors in schools.
About $44 million of that investment will be used over four years to provide counselling to primary and intermediate aged children for the first time.
Ms Martin said local counselling organisations would deliver these services starting in 2021 to schools in areas most affected by the economic downturn.
Despite the announcement having been made at Snells Beach, Homebuilders coordinator Quentin Jukes is concerned that if the Government uses a ranking system, similar to the school decile ranking, local schools might not get the new support.
“Rodney is an interesting area because it has some of the wealthiest and poorest communities in the country,” Quentin says.
“If you average out the statistics, it might appear as if there isn’t a need, and we might not be eligible.”
Homebuilders has been offering counselling to primary and intermediate age children for years, but has recently had an upsurge in demand for its service.
Despite only being funded to provide one-on-one counselling to 63 children, Homebuilders now has 130 children on its books. That figure is up 30 per cent on last year.
“And, we know there are still more families out there that just don’t know how to access the service,” Quentin says.
Springboard managing director Gary Diprose says Springboard is eager to look into being a counselling provider as it would fit well within their “wrap around” services.
He says Springboard has had success with using boxing classes as an alternative therapy for children to build their self-esteem.
Children get the benefits of physical exercise while gaining skills in a sport and building confidence in their abilities.
The class uses the same training techniques as competitive boxing, however it is non-contact.
The programme has been run for two years at Mahurangi College and last term Springboard extended it with new classes for intermediate age children, held in Snells Beach.
Gary says anxiety is a growing problem among young people. The cause is not easy to determine but the pace of modern life and prominence of social media is likely play a role.
Springboard’s boxing classes are taught by Niki Arnold, 25, who came through Springboard as a teenager and has returned, 10 years later, to be a mentor.
She is a successful career boxer, having represented New Zealand while touring the world.
Niki had a difficult upbringing, and was expelled from Mahurangi College, but turned her life around thanks to the support she received from Springboard and the benefits of boxing.
“Learning boxing took away those thoughts of not being good enough and gave me a different perspective. I want to give kids that opportunity,” Niki says.
The new class for intermediate age children provides the chance to work with kids during their most formative years and help them before they might shape negative views.
“I have noticed they are more open to the process. It builds their character before they reach the age where they are making big decisions like whether to leave school,” she says.
Niki says sometimes children just need someone in their corner to encourage them to back themselves.
“The boxing ring provides a safe space for kids to have those conversations about how they feel. And, if they need extra resources, Springboard is in a perfect position to find that for them,” she says.
“You just have to be patient and real with them and know that all kids are facing their own fight.”
