Kawerau schools have adopted a nation, as the town counts down to the 2013 World Rafting Champs.
Adopt a Nation is a 10-week school curriculum designed by the Kawerau Youth Council and funded by the Ministry of Youth Development. The programme aims to involve every junior school student in Kawerau in the build-up to the championships in Kawerau and Rotorua in November.
Up to 30 nations are expected to be represented at the championships and on Tuesday a ballot was held to allocate each nation to a junior-school class from Tarawera High School, South School, Putauaki School and Te Whata Tau o Putauaki.
Kawerau District Council's youth co-ordinator Lucy Potter said Adopt a Nation was about leaving a legacy for the next generation of whitewater competitors in Kawerau. "Some of the teams are likely to be here for several weeks training before the champs officially kick off so it is a great opportunity for junior school students to get involved and bring a sense of reality to what they are studying," she said.
Each week, students will follow a different theme, with topics based around the nationalities of teams competing. In November, students' work will be displayed in The Global Water House Adopt a Nation dome. This is a large inflatable tent that will form the centrepiece of The Global Water House Festival - the events and activities that sit alongside the World Rafting Championships.
