N.Z. teen course a role mode

Press, 18 March 1989, Page 7

N.Z. teen course a role mode

By CULLEN SMITH New Zealand is being pushed as a role model for an American educational programme guiding teenagers along the path to adulthood. Introduced to Christchurch schools in a trial two years ago, the Skills For Adolescence programme’s success in this country has impressed its founder, Mr Rick Little, chairman of the Quest Organisation. Mr Little is in Christchurch this week-end to address a district convention of Lions International, which funds the S.F.A. plan here. “We are concerned about providing young people with the skills they need to manoeuvre their way through their growing up years,” Mr Little said last evening. From humble beginnings involving 14 teachers and eight schools, the programme is now taught as a regular part of the health curriculum in 181 schools throughout the country. “We view New Zealand as a role model for other countries to follow,” Mr Little said.

In schools using the plan, principals noticed fewer discipline problems, a reduction in truancy, increased motivation among teachers, and rising academic levels. The skills programme teaches children aged 10 to 14 how to relate to

each other, how to listen and converse, and how to question differing viewpoints. Mr Little says it concentrates on involving children in their own learning process with a key emphasis on community and parental involvement. “It’s not enough to talk to young people, we need to engage their interest," he said.