Getting into the festive spirit at the Aurora Leadership Programme making Christmas cards for SuperGrans are Mahaki Chambers from Tolaga Bay School, Mackenzie Hamblyn from Central School and Hunter Jean-Louis from Mangapapa School.
Getting into the festive spirit at the Aurora Leadership Programme making Christmas cards for SuperGrans are Mahaki Chambers from Tolaga Bay School, Mackenzie Hamblyn from Central School and Hunter Jean-Louis from Mangapapa School.
About 40 students from 16 schools took part in workshops run by The Aurora Education Foundation last week in the final part of its leadership programme in Gisborne for 2024.
This was followed by a Community Celebration of Leadership Learning event with more than 90 parents and supporters gathering at Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club to mark the occasion.
Aurora has been running the leadership programme since 2016, working with students identified as having special talents across all areas of the curriculum.
It brings targeted opportunities to develop personal growth, stronger self-belief and increased self-confidence, especially in the leaders’ oral communication skills and public speaking.
A similar celebration was held in Wairoa, where one former leader and role model, Te Maioho Maitai, sang the praises of the programme.
“I have been part of Aurora for six years now and have loved every minute of it.”
“You see Aurora isn’t just a group of people, it isn’t just an organisation, Aurora is a whānau but most importantly Aurora is a mindset - a mindset that you are the stars of the future,” she said.
Addressing the students who were part of the programme in Wairoa, Maitai went on to encourage them to remember “the values that Aurora instilled in you - leadership, courage, compassion, teamwork, respect and guidance”.
“Leadership is about having the courage to make your voice heard despite how young you are,” she said.
The focus of the programme is on empathy, ethics and giving back.
It promotes socialisation skills and the ability to work collaboratively with peers, make new friends from other schools, improve problem-solving skills, learn and practice “giving back” to those less fortunate in the community.
One of the workshops devised by the young leaders was to make Christmas cards for SuperGrans to go with the Christmas gifts the charity provides to families in need.
Making Christmas cards for SuperGrans are Ben Loffler from Ngatapa School, Samuel Kerley from Ormond School and Goldie Chaffey from Whangara School who were part of The Aurora Education Foundation Leadership Programme.
“Getting funding from the Ministry of Education this year has given us a much-needed boost and highlighted the value of the programme,” Aurora executive director Sunny Bush said.
“We can now offer extra opportunities and widen the sweep of children so many more enjoy the rich benefits of such high-quality extension.”
The 2024 programme is called Aurora Stepping Up, Stepping Out Leadership and combines inspirational and aspirational leadership as a springboard for higher achievement.
Since their funding was approved by the MoE they have been able to accelerate the delivery of the programme and have squeezed a lot of workshops into the past couple of months.
“We are delighted to take the Aurora programme up the Coast next term to provide East Coast students with exciting new opportunities, especially in the leadership and science areas.
“The beauty of significant MoE funding is that it enables the programme to be bigger, bolder, and better. This MoE support helps us to fulfil our mission to ensure Aurora becomes a permanent fixture on the Tairāwhiti education landscape for the years to come.”
