Kia ora koutou!
I’ve always believed that language shapes culture, and the stories we tell ourselves can shape our future.
Henry Ford famously said:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.”
For me, this goes deeper than positive thinking. It’s about the narratives we carry and the thoughts we allow to take up residence in our minds.
At Springboard, we help our young people build self-belief. Belief in what is possible, hopeful and wonderful about who they are.
When a young person starts believing a different story about themselves, they begin making different choices, seeing new possibilities, and shaping a brighter future.
We are so grateful for your belief us and in our rangatahi. Together, we are helping to change the world, one young person at a time.
Our Annual Fundraiser Dinner is coming up on Saturday 7 November. It’s a chance for our community to wrap around our young people and say, “We believe in you.”
If you’d like to come along, get in touch. There are more details below. We’d love to have you join us.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Dan
the road to success
Driving Academy Expansion
We're delighted to announce we are expanding our Driving Academy, increasing the driver licensing support we can provide to young people in our community.
We place great importance on young people being able to drive well, safely and legally. Having a driving licence increases employment options, social inclusion and opens up a larger world for a young person. This is particularly important here in Rodney where many of our young people live rurally, and do not have access to public transport.
We look forward to supporting more young people to gain their licence!
If you know a young person aged 16-24yrs, who is ready to start working towards their Driving Licence, they can apply using this link.
Aroha's story
Aroha had been expelled from school at 13 and navigated the devastating loss of both her parents. After the death of her parents, she ended up living in emergency housing with her older sister.
I didn't feel safe in emergency housing. It wasn't a good place to be in.
At 15, Aroha found out she was pregnant. She was able to move in with her partner and his family, who have been incredibly supportive of the young couple.
At 16 Aroha was referred to Springboard's Youth Service programme and assigned a youth coach, Kerbeigh.
I met her when she was 16. She had the cutest little baby with her, Anaia. We really just got to know each other and figured out what was next for her... what can I do as a Youth Coach to support her through that?
One time Kerbeigh and I went for acai bowls for a fun outing and catch up. This was great bonding for us and was a fun time. Sometimes it's been good to do fun things outside of paperwork and hang out with my coach outside of the house.
The biggest barrier to Aroha's future goal to be a youth coach has been the long gap in her education. Through our partnership with Cavalli College, Kerbeigh helped Aroha enrol in a Level 2 Foundations course.
Aroha was doing so well, but halfway through the course, tragedy struck again. Aroha’s sister passed away in a car accident.
I offered her the chance to step back. That was such a hard time. But Aroha is just so resilient in everything, she refused to let loss stop her. She told me “No, I really want this.”
Aroha took the time she needed for her sister’s tangi and their family grieving. During the months that followed, Kerbeigh’s role shifted to being an emotional anchor. Using Te Whare Tapa Whā, she kept an eye on the "four walls" of Aroha’s wellbeing. Some days weren't for assignments; they were for playground trips or just holding it together for a young person grieving.
In May this year, Aroha walked across the graduation stage to receive her Level 2 Foundations certificate with baby Anaia in her arms. At just 18, she’s achieved so much whilst walking through so many challenges.
What a cool testament to what it is to be a young person who just needs someone in their corner. Aroha is only 18 now, she has her whole life ahead of her, but the things that she’s been through and the resilience that she’s shown has just been amazing. To see her thrive now is amazing. It’s so, so cool. What a massive achievement.
The deep dive
For those of you who want a bit more about Springboard life, we're including some more in-depth 'reporting' about issues that impact us. These stories will open in a new window. If you've got the time, have a read and let us know what you think!
Charities Aid Foundation
2026 Global Giving report
The 2026 CAF report gives some insight into local giving, within a global context. Read more and find out what that means for Springboard.
Please join us
Fund A Brighter Future
Fundraising Dinner
Saturday 7 November
RSVP: dan@springboard.org.nz
Please join us
Fund A Brighter Future
Fundraising Dinner
Saturday 7 November
RSVP: dan@springboard.org.nz
Impact Alternative Education
Alternative Education engages young people with creative, useful learning. Our programme's tutors work hard to design learning that is vibrant, fun and meaningful.
In maths, for instance, our young people have been working with statistics. That's included interviewing staff members and cafe customers about their favourite Fruit Bursts. (Orange is not a popular choice, in case you were wondering.) As well as the stats on fruit burst popularity, interviewing people (especially people they don't know) builds confidence in relating to others. Simple activities like this create diverse learning outcomes.
We've been expanding use of simple AI in the classroom. Students have been requesting information to help them with the propagation of native plants at our Horticulture Centre, and using prompts to design posters and information sheets.
Those native plants don't plant themselves, so out in the farm park they've been clearing wild ginger, refreshing gravel on the Eco-Trail at Sheepworld, harvesting native seeds and planting out seedlings into pots.
For many of our young people, planting seedlings is another step on the Horticulture Centre journey they've been part of for a year.
This time last year they were dismantling pig pens, helping pour concrete and learning how to use a post driver. Now, a year later, they see the fruit of that work as they stand in the Horticulture Centre planting seedlings and seeing them grow. It's a great way to have them recognise that sometimes a journey is just a lot of small steps in the right direction.
Check out the photo gallery below and see the hard work.
Meanwhile, on the farm...
It's Spring! That means babies out on the farm. We have lots of lambs and tiny piglets!
Father's Day is fast approaching. Why not bring your dad, your granddad, your neighbour's dad, along to the farm park.
Dads get free entry to the farm park on Father's Day, so make the most of it!
Every visit to Sheepworld Farm Park, Cafe and Gift Shop supports our programmes. We have some great gifts for guys, although we couldn't miss the opportunity to suggest socks for Father's Day...
Built with Shorthand