Winner has the power

Kidpower has worked with 25,000 young people in its violence prevention programmes since 1993.

Ezekiel Robson volunteers for up to 20 hours a week to help empower young people and prevent violence.

His hard work has paid off as he is one of six recipients of the Cathay Pacific High-Flyers Community Awards, in association with the Herald on Sunday.

Robson, 30, from Manurewa in Auckland, will travel to San Francisco in April, where he will train to become a qualified Teenpower instructor.

The training would be a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, he said.

"I always hoped to go because I think it's such a great resource to have in this community but I knew I would have to fundraise and it would have probably taken me till 2012. It's such a huge, huge bonus," he said.

As a Kidpower programme manager Robson runs courses aimed at building young people's self esteem and confidence to reduce violence.

"It's the fear that drives people out of communities."

Kidpower has worked with 25,000 young people in its violence prevention programmes since 1993. Robson said he knew when he was making a difference "by seeing smiles on the kids' faces after training".

Plus having hereditary vision impairment gave him an appreciation of others who were limited in some way.

Robson will complete an intensive six-week course in San Francisco to become a qualified international instructor. He will continue to deliver programmes in Auckland.

Other high-flyer winners are Speld NZ, Samaritans of Wellington, Altus Resource Trust, Maori Midwifery Ropu and Cystic Fibrosis NZ. They will be profiled in coming weeks.