Waiopehu College’s Teen Parent Unit, He Whare Manaaki Tāngata, celebrated 10 years last weekend. Ten years of successfully turning around the lives of many teen parents, especially mums, whose lives were severely disrupted at an early age because of a pregnancy.
The unit has a lot of support from the local community and is a firm part of Waiopehu College, which broke all the rules 10 years ago by building a facility for the unit close to the school instead of on an isolated spot, on the school grounds and with its own separate access.
Barry Petherick, who was the college principal at the time, shared a bit of the history of the unit with those who attended the celebration. “We had to really prove that existing childcare options could not cater for the children of our unit to get permission to start a preschool in the same building, which was something other teen parent units did not have.
“We also did not want the unit to be isolated from the rest of the school, so few existing classrooms were moved into position beside the school.
“We did a lot of research, which showed that not only was New Zealand second in the OECD for teen pregnancy, at any given time there were 70 teen mums in our district. It was clear we needed to cater for them so they could finish their education and start a career.”
Many visits to other units followed and in 2014, the country’s 20th teen parent unit was formed at the college. It still has a close relationship with the college. The college’s board of trustees chairwoman is Jenny Warren, who says the board oversees the college’s strategic plans, which engage all learners and help them achieve the best possible outcomes.
“We need to be agile to respond to the changing needs of our community as well as the sector, and we support the principal and teachers to deliver quality education. He Whare Manaaki Tangata is an integral part of the college and provides tailored programmes for its students.”
Head teacher Kirstie Matakatea said she started at the unit as a student teacher some years ago while she was a mum of six. “All these teen parents have an amazing story to tell and there are so many people at the college and the wider community that play a part in their success.”
Misty Sciascia, who has been with the unit since it started, said the unit was about creating a strong culture that delivered a culturally responsive curriculum tailored towards the needs of each student.
One of the first students was Ash, who was 14 when she became pregnant. “All of a sudden I could no longer relate to other teens. The unit helped me transition. That does not seem to be that long ago.”
Emma Wadsworth is a blossoming member of Horowhenua District Council’s finance team and she, too, benefited from being part of the Teen Parent Unit for a year in 2017. She left school at 16 and was able to finish high school at the unit. When she graduated, she worked several jobs.
She then studied business administration at Level 4 and gained work experience at the council. ”I do a mix of jobs in the finance department and have been there for two years now. It is a great place to work. Most of my colleagues are parents, so they understand my situation.
“It is one of the most supportive jobs I have ever been in.”
She said the Teen Parent Unit was about much more than study. “The emotional support they gave was fantastic. A lot of personal issues come up and they are equipped to help you deal with those.
Abby Saunders attended the unit throughout 2018 and came to the school via a counsellor at Life to the Max. “I also had a job at the time. I loved being at the unit.” She earned an award at the end that allowed her to attend Outward Bound. She then moved to University Entrance and studied nursing.
She now works at Palmerston North Hospital as a theatre nurse. “The job can be a bit of a juggle at times with my 8-year-old daughter, but as a workplace the hospital is very supportive.”
While she enjoyed her time at the unit, she said results did not come easily. “You still have to work hard, but if you work hard they have every avenue available for you.”
Teachers stay in touch with many past students and are always available to guide and counsel.
One community organisation that has been supporting the unit with a prize presented at each year’s graduation ceremony is Rotary Levin. Pam Goode and president Alison Rushbrook said they had for many years donated a scholarship to Outward Bound, a life-changing experience for many girls.
“The unit does amazing work and everyone deserves a second chance,” they said.