June 2009 Recipients
Ten young students are able to attend gymnastic classes as part of the Wellington City Mission’s Mission for Youth Alternative Education School thanks to a $700.00 Mazda Foundation grant.
The Mission for Youth Alternative Education School assists secondary school students who have been alienated from the state school system because of truancy, behavioural, emotional or social problems.
“In essence, the programme is about behavioural change, turning lives around and achieving positive outcomes for our young people,” says Leanne Thompson, Marketing Manager, Wellington City Mission.
Students in the programme participate in a range of activities including academic classroom sessions, adventure-based learning camps, life skills, creative arts and sports such as the gymnastics class.
“Our programme ensures that it is possible for students to have the opportunity to return to mainstream schooling or further education, and to provide caregivers with a support network,” says Thompson.
The Wellington City Mission provides a range of social services in the Wellington region, caring for people right across the age spectrum. In the last 12 months, the Mission worked with 3,736 clients in the community and 120 patients in residential care. Programmes run by the organisation are designed to address needs currently not being met by other social service providers and assist those that are most in need.
