Reaching Out Programme 1989

16 February, 1989.

ROTARY REACHING OUT PROGRAMME

At a meeting of the Vocational Committee on 13 February, the attached letter from the Reaching Out Trust seeking sponsorship for a resource kit supplied to the Poukawa School was considered and I was asked to research the matter.  The result of my enquiries is set out below.

REACHING OUT is a combined New Zealand Rotary Clubs’ Community Service and Youth teaching programme sponsored by Rotary.  Aimed at eleven to thirteen year olds, it deals with issues that face young people today in their every-day lives.  It is intended to help them develop long-term skills for coping with negative peer pressure, making positive decisions and carrying them out in real life.  The programme is administered by the Reaching Out Trust from Auckland.

Mrs Edna Peters, Executive Officer of the Trust, spoke to Club members about the Trust in November 1987.  She was accompanied by Mr Parkinson, Principal of Flaxmere Intermediate School, where the programme was being introduced.  Directore [Directors] agreed to sponsor the school in paying the cost of the resource kit, $300.  The kit comprises a 60 minute video, audiotape, 12 large coloured photographs and 3 teachers’ manuals.

On 14 February, I phoned the Poukawa School and found that Mr Alan McDonald who was Principal when the attached letter was written, transferred to Pakowhai School at the beginning of this year.  I spoke to Mrs Campbell, Relieving Principal for the first term only.  She explained that the Poukawa School is a sole charge school with only 13 students.  She knew something about the Reaching Out programme from publicity material that came in the mail recently but had put it aside as she could not accommodate it in the plan for this term.  She had had no personal experience of the programme and was not aware that resource material had been supplied to the school.  From what she knew of the programme, she thought that its objects were very good but doubted whether it was altogether appropriate for such a small school as Poukawa.  It was proper, she thought, that Rotary should wish to evaluate the success of the programme.

I phoned Mr McDonald at the Pakowhai School on 15 February.  He explained that the Poukawa School roll last year had varied from 22 to 24, including five Form 2 students and one Form 1 student, all of whom had since left.  There were 2 Maori students, the rest Pakeha.  He had probably become aware of the Reaching Out programme from pamphlets received in the mail and had thought that if the material was available, he should get it.  On looking through it, he decided that the programme was not suitable for such a small school, although the manuals were a valuable resource to have.  The programme was not implemented.  He was not aware that a Rotary Club would be asked to sponsor the cost or that there would be any follow up evaluation.  He had left the kit at the Poukawa School when he transferred.

Now for something positive ….  I also phoned Mr Parkinson of the Flaxmere Intermediate School on 15 February.  He is enthusiastic about Reaching Out which he described as “ideal, an excellent programme”.  It was extensively used in the school last year, is being used this year and “will be used for some years to come”.  The school has a roll of 500, about equal numbers of Maori and Pakeha.  There are 15 teachers and all are involved in the programme.  It is particularly appropriate at the present time because of the interest and publicity about the question of peer pressure on children, especially Maori children, not to succeed.  This year he has introduced a health oriented programme which will complement Reaching Out very well.

On my mentioning that we had received a request to sponsor the programme in a sole charge school, he commented that while perhaps he should not be expressing an opinion, he had reservations about its suitability in such circumstances.  I asked Mr Parkinson whether he would be willing to speak to the Club about the programme at his school.  He said he would be happy to arrange this but it might be more appropriate to have a teacher or teachers more closely involved in the programme than he as speaker(s).

Bill Pascoe
W.A. Pascoe