Confidence course for school pupils

Press, 13 December 1989, Page 8

Confidence course for school pupils

By

MARITA VANDENBERG

It is often the trouble-makers or the high achievers who get handpicked to go on special school trips. But at Aranui High School recently it was the turn of the less confident pupils. A group of 10 boys from three classes were taken under the wing of the Kingslea Resource Centre, for a week to boost their self-esteem.

The boys spent part of the week in the Lewis Pass where they went rock-climbing, rowing, tramping and abseiling. One of the two Kingslea physical education outreach teachers who accompanied the group, Mr Rob Macdonald, said the boys gained confidence as they achieved new goals each day.

“The boys got a chance to show leadership qualities which they wouldn’t normally get to exercise in the classroom.” Mr Macdonald said self-esteem was a continually evolving process. Taking the group out of their usual class for a week and putting them through the confidence course had boosted that process.

“At some point in the future they will be faced with a challenge and will be able to say:

‘Hey, I went down a rock-face — I can do this!”

One of Aranui High School’s councillors, Mr Jim Strang, said many of the barriers pupils faced were really in their head.

“The exercise reinforced the fact that they could do these things,” he said. Mr Macdonald said the boys developed a strong group spirit. This was evident last week when the group were brought together again to spend the day rafting on the Waimakariri River.

“There was a big uplift in their self-esteem. They all had the confidence to take a turn at being captain and taking responsibility for making their own decisions.” Mr Macdonald said this was the first such course run by Kingslea. It already runs courses, through a number of secondary schools, for students with anger management problems, obesity problems, and for victims of sexual abuse.

They all benefited from the same experience because low self-esteem was common to all of these students, he said.

“This course was for the boys most likely to get picked on,” said Mr Strang. “In some schools they would just get left and the bullies would get the attention.”