Positive result from youthful aggression

PICTURE/PETRINA HODGSON

Growing up at Awanui and getting a "hiding" from his brothers taught 17-year-old Rayner Johnson to take out his aggression on his school mates. But now this former bully is on a mission to teach other young Far North males how to behave respectfully and positively towards others.

Rayner is the new facilitator for Kaitaia Virtue Church's 'Strength' programme, aimed at 11- to 13-year-old boys, the brother programme to the successful girls' version, 'Shine,' led by Shelley Sullivan, which has been running in the Far North for five years.

The fully-funded programme concentrates on the core topics of significance, resilience and courage, Rayner delivering it one day a week with each school group, with a mixture of classroom and outdoor activities. (He is currently halfway through the programme at Pamapuria, Oturu and Kaitaia Intermediate schools).

"It's definitely not a sit-down lesson. We watch movie clips, and there's a lot of discussion," he said.

The programme was trialled at Kaitaia Intermediate School in the last term of last year, Rayner saying was already seeing evidence of success.

"It does work," he said.

"I had two boys in the pilot class who had on-going conflict. They ended up sorting it out between them during the class using things I had taught them through the programme. They talked it through and were able to resolve it by communicating, rather than using their fists, which is what they would have normally done."

Shelley said schools had been asking for such a programme for boys "for years". She had just been looking for the right man to lead it. And now she had found him.

Raised in Awanui, Rayner attended Kaingaroa Primary and Kaitaia College. He enjoyed his time at school, but admitted to having been "a bit of a bully".

"I used to do it to feel like 'the man.' I really regret doing that now," he said, but a lot of boys were being bullied these days.

"Through this programme we will be reminding the boys of their self-worth," he added.

"We set goals with the boys and give them the courage to do what they believe in and want to do."

He had begun attending church after his seeing the positive impact that had had on his older sister, and was baptised in 2011. He hadn't been especially keen on church to begin with, "but I met so many positive, cool people, and I felt comfortable here. The church is like my family."

After leaving school he took part in a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) course last year.

"I learnt heaps there about leadership. It brought out of me what I didn't know I had," he said.

He travelled to Fiji, where he helped rebuild homes and villages destroyed by Cyclone Evan, and that experience changed him greatly. He's now looking forward to another mission this year.

He was offered the Strength programme position when he returned from his YWAM mission, and knows that that's where he wants to be.

"I feel blessed with this job," he said.

"I really want to help the boys in this community. I'm more like a big brother to them than a teacher. I wish I'd had something like this when I was a boy."

Having been a bully when he was younger gave him perspective in terms of helping teach young boys to avoid the mistakes he had made. He could relate to their feelings, and the reasons why they may have begun bullying in the first place.

"The boys look up to him. He is a great male role model and a good influence," Shelley said.

"We've definitely got the right man for the job."