The 111 Files: Cactus brings out good in teens

The most recent Western Heights High School CACTUS group after they completed the "longest day".

Last week I mentioned the great leadership of Mark Enright and others who guided 23 local high school students through the most recent Cactus programme in Rotorua. So what is Cactus?

Seven years ago former Senior Sergeant Mick Lander, who was stationed at Wairoa at the time, developed and launched the Combined Adolescent Challenge Training Unit and Support programme.

When Mick first mentioned this to me, I asked him about his choice of name as it's a bit of a mouthful. He conceded that it was the imagery of a cactus plant that appealed to him. Mick went on to explain that in his role as a police officer he had often found that young people were prickly on the outside, but good on the inside.

So Mick's vision for Cactus was to develop a programme that would create an environment where adult mentors would have an opportunity to get past the prickly bits and bring out the good on the inside.

When Mick transferred to Rotorua about five years ago, he brought the Cactus programme with him. Sergeant Steve Sutton was one of the first Rotorua Police officers to capture the vision for Cactus and led a small team of police officers and volunteers in launching the first Rotorua Cactus back in 2010. Since then the programme has grown and Cactus programmes are run each year in a number of Rotorua schools.

One of the keys to the success of the programme is the course is always made up of a mix of teenagers with quite different strengths and weaknesses.

A typical Cactus course will have a cross-section of students, from some of a school's best students right through to some who are really struggling.

The programme is designed to challenge a young person physically and psychologically " with a focus on teamwork, goal setting, discipline and leadership development.

It is always very encouraging to talk to the parents of the teenagers who attend Cactus and hear their stories about what a life-changing experience Cactus has been for their kids. Comments such as "I've got my boy back", or "They have such a better attitude at home now"; or "I don't think any of us ever thought they would achieve something like this" are pretty typical of what I hear after every Cactus course run by the Rotorua team.

Similarly, the feedback the course instructors receive from the students who attend the course is also pretty special.

And that is why I am not surprised that so many police officers volunteer their off-duty time to assist running these courses.

Just about every police officer I have ever met joined the police to make a difference. It is a characteristic that has become one of the strengths of our organisation. The police is full of people who are passionate about what they do and come to work every day to serve their community and help others.

Authentic leadership.

Nothing gets done without it. More on that next week.

Inspector Bruce Horne is the Rotorua police area commander.