"We thanked all those that over the years had supported the programme and there was a few acknowledgments through presentations of those that had made contributions either financially or otherwise."
The organisation has had over 250 young men come through the programme with 76 percent of the youth either back at school, in further education courses or employed.
Asked what he enjoyed about Youthquest, Mr Poko said, "Seeing young men reach their full potential gives me the drive to keep going.
"I have been involved with the programme since the inception and to see where Youthquest has evolved to is awesome.
"The community has been a huge part of that success and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed in one way or the other.
"We have young men who are now buying their first home, raising families, earning good money and travelling overseas to other opportunities.
"I said 10 years ago that if we could change one young man's life for the better then it was all worth the sacrifice.
"I moved down from Auckland, sold my house, and in the first seven months here in Kapiti never got paid a wage but it has all been worth it."
Each course runs for six weeks and is based on character change team building and community focus.
Students learn new skills and gain NCEA level 1 and 2 credits, participate in the Save A Mate programme run by Red Cross, listen to guest speakers such as Andy Oakley speak about positive attitudes, visit a marae with family joining later in the day for a shared meal, through to community work projects.
