REGIONAL NEWS
TAIRAWHITI
DARE to be you Celebration day. Held Saturday 14 November 2009 at the Gisborne Olympic pools from 10.30am - 4.30pm.
This was the day to celebrate the completion of our DARE to be You programmes. 34 children completed various DARE to be You programmes and 27 of the children on the programme were able to come along, plus 7 of our 8 facilitators were present too.
The children had free reign of the pools, diving board and hyroslide. We set up a table with snacks and drinks that the children were able to graze on and then for lunch we had pizza and hot chips which were all devoured
It was a successful and very good day had by all. Most of the children had to be ushered out of the pools at 4.30pm so they could be delivered home.
DARE Southland Inc
DAREing to be different
Southland Express recently interviewed Police Education Officer, Marty Lohrey, who has some simple advice for parents who are worried about their children being exposed to drugs like marijuana.
"Be very vigilant and expect it, that their children from time to time come across it".
To read the full article please click on the link - "Southland Express article". October 09
Welcome to DARE on the Wild West Coast (the best kept secret!!)
Being a little different than most DARE Coordinators I have 32hrs a week and include in my hours a lot of hands on programme running time.
DARE is very popular here on the Coast and our programmes are in demand in most schools. There are two Area Schools that we go to every year working with boys one year and girls the next, these are Hari Hari and Reefton.
Just so everyone gets a little idea of the dynamics for travel here:-
The area school in Karamehas a trained facilitator and I visit a couple of times a year. At the opposite end of the Coast there is a school in Haast that we visit every second year. The distance between these is all my area and covers 515kms in length!, and yes I have been in Haast one day and Karamea the next!
So here’s a run down of my week this term. Reefton (inland) on a Tuesday for DTMO and DTBY, 2 hour round trip. Wednesdays sees me heading to Hari Hari to run DTMO and DTBY, 2 ½ hour round trip. Thursday I’m off to Westport for both programmes, another 2 hour round trip and this term I am running DTSK for six weeks on a Thursday night, so this is an overnight stay.
To make the most of the long trip, I fit in as much as I can, so take three classes. As part of the important relationship building with the kids, sometimes we go for a walk and a hot chocolate or just hang out, or I sometimes ask them to show me a walk they like. I believe I am lucky with the rural aspect of the programme, because the same kids that will do DTBY will then come to me for DTMO, and as the relationship has already formed, it makes it easier to start the programmes.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday sees me running DTSK classes – the bonus being they are mostly in the Greymouth region. Juggling my days is what I do best.
So ………….., I know at this stage you are thinking what madness, but no not all is mad or bad. I get to drive on some of the most picturesque roads in the world with a view of the snow caped mountains on one side and the sea on the other. When I stay the night in my region I get to go for the most amazing walks around and along lakes, glaciers, beaches, seal colonies, and all without any other people.
An important part of my role for me is to stop and have a coffee or lunch at the local dairy or café, especially in the small towns. These people are important in the community especially if you are having to ask for funding! When they see me once a week, they get to know me, know what I am doing at their school and all about DARE! (they really are a curious bunch!).
Like all other DARE Societies in NZ funding is an ongoing issue. I do have to find the time to fill in applications and talk to the right people and attend the right meetings. I am still waiting for a lot of this to fruit for me but live in hope. My advice (in case you asked) - talk, meet and get in the communities face whenever possible. Let it be known at all the DTSK how hard you work to raise funding and how, this – takes you away from working with their kids. Make it so your community feel they can’t do without DARE and what they will loose if DARE has to give up in their region.
I do power point presentations to community groups; this is a great chance to talk about DARE and funding as well.
Piggy back with other organisations , they may have funds sitting there for youth and need to spend it, they could umbrella your programmes. For me, it is also important to stop when possible at the local police station to say hi and tell them what I am up to and see if there is a way I can include them, sometimes it is with my fun days.
Fun days are soo good but it does depend on the group. I have taken my older groups, to Oceania gold mine on a bus trip (equipped with water pistol and lollypops!) It snowed, so changed the whole trip, the mine closed and it turned into one big snow ball fight between police and kids!! Yes I got hammered to, sitting on a snow ball that a little darling had put in my seat, but I did have the water pistol. So at the end of the day, no one will ever forget our great, wet and cold time!! These kids have moved on and I still get the odd text from them and they always stop to say hi when they see me.
Other trips, The new hot pools in Franz Josef Glacier and the old hot pools in Hanmer Springs, Tramping to the Hephy hut, Paint Ball with the police, pizza and mini golf, Over night stay at the Police social club house at Lake Brunner, A trip on the Four Wheel Bikes, Picnic at Nelson creek, Bus trip to the Hokitika Swimming pool and Kiwi centre, visits to the Greymouth Police Station to look and eat pizza, visit to Shantytown, marshmallows on the beach, Ice cream down town! It is time consuming but well worth it. Of the hundreds of kids I have worked with on the West Coast they are all worth the effort, we have had a ball, and to see the results and be told how much kids have changed is the icing on the cake!!
So I hope you have all found this piece of some interest to you and your programmes. And I do hope if anyone is over this way they call by and I would love to show you some of my favourite spots on the West Coast!!
DARE Day in Whangarei
DARE Kauri Coast held a fun afternoon at Dargaville Intermediate School in celebration of the National DARE Day on 31 July 2009.
The event was considered to be a great success - and was thoroughly enjoyed not only by the pupils but also by the teachers, police staff and DARE representatives who attended and helped out on the day,
The afternoon started with a free sausage sizzle and drinks provided by DARE Kauri Coast. Then it was time to prepare for the whole aerial school photo shoot (see photo on home page).
Students were asked to assemble in their houses and each was provided with 2 orange balloons to hold to represent the colours of our logo and so we could make an impact from the air. They were then escorted to the word DARE which was marked out on the field and placed in position.
Our thanks to Murray Foster (Dargaville Aero Club) who kindly offered to fly our photographer Paula Anderson over the school field in their light aircraft, doing a number of fly overs to ensure we achieved some great photos.
DARE to be You training
DARE Kauri Coast arranged a training day for the „DARE to Be You programme on 10th July 2009. We invited all the other Northland DARE Committees to send any potential Facilitators to also attend the training.
As a result we now have ten fully licenced „DARE to Be You Facilitators delivering this programme across Northland – five of which are representatives for DARE Kauri Coast. If you would like further information about DARE to be you on the Kauri Coast, then please contact Trudy Bailey - darekauricoast@gmail.com
DARE To Move On Launched in Otago
In July DARE Otago held a very successful function to launch DARE to Move On, click here to read newspaper article.