Putting teens on right path

BOLD PLAN: Brennan Rigby has been tasked with making Kaikohe's Youth Action Plan a reality. PHOTO/PETER DE GRAAF

Trial aims to advance youth in Kaikohe

An ambitious plan being trialled in Kaikohe aims to reduce youth crime, curb drug and alcohol abuse, and get more young people into jobs and training.

Unlike previous plans for getting the Mid North town's youth back on track, this one was devised by locals and has the backing of five heavyweight government ministers.

The Kaikohe Youth Action Plan - one of 16 around the country but the first in Northland - also sets specific deadlines for each of its 47 ''milestones''. They include setting up an after-school study hub, a safe place for youth activities, lifting the visibility of police and Maori Wardens at public events, a health centre at Northland College, student counselling and drug testing, and a fund to help successful Kaikohe youth take part in events around the country.

The plan was launched this week at Northland College and is being driven by Te Pae Aronga Taitamariki, a joint venture by Ngapuhi Iwi Social Services, the Otangarei Trust and Auckland-based Youth Horizons. It uses a Social Sector Trial approach first tested in 2011 in six New Zealand towns and expanded last year to 10 more.

Kaikohe Social Sector Trial manager Brennan Rigby, whose background is youth justice in west Auckland, said the trial did not necessarily involve spending a lot more money - but it did involve making sure it was spent in the right places, and ensuring government agencies and service providers worked together to tackle issues affecting Kaikohe youth.

The basic idea behind the plan was to get the community to decide how social sector funding should be spent. The resulting plan had ''real grunt'' because it was backed by five ministries _ Social Development, Education, Health, Police and Justice - and because it specified a deadline for every milestone as well as the agency responsible for making it happen.

''That's the difference between this plan and previous attempts to solve the problem,'' Mr Rigby said.

Part of the plan for reducing youth offending and drug and alcohol abuse is to organise more social and sporting activities. Positive events helped to foster pride and participation, giving young people a sense of belonging.

Kaikohe teens spoken to the Advocate, such as Te Aroha Komene, 18, said their town needed more after-school activities to keep youth occupied and away from drugs and alcohol.

''There's heaps of potential here, but if there's nothing to do they'll go straight to drinking.''

She also said Kaikohe youth needed positive role models. In many cases, young people who got into trouble were only following the example set by adults around them.

Logan Selwyn, 16, said drinking and drugs were a problem because ''there's nothing to do around here''. Truancy could be curtailed by opening up more opportunities at school, for example by opening a sports academy.

Norella Tetai suggested making better use of existing facilities such as the Memorial Hall by opening it up to dance groups and fitness classes; Rikki-Leigh Rako, 13, wanted more opportunities to play sport and more community events like the Ngapuhi Festival, which took place only once every two years.

Northland MP Mike Sabin said the plan would allow the Kaikohe community to co-ordinate the many social agencies working in town. It recognised that change was best driven by local people and government agencies were most effective when they worked closely with local communities.

''Communities have shown that when they are enabled and supported to make changes, and work together, they can make a real difference,'' he said.

Click here to read the full plan.