PM visits programme that helps children achieve

Graeme Dingle (Foundation for Youth Development co-founder and executive trustee) and John Key.

Prime Minister John Key visited the Foundation for Youth Development’s successful Kiwi Can programme at Wymondley Road Primary School in South Auckland recently.

Kiwi Can is one of three programmes run by the Foundation for Youth Development which caters for young people from primary school age children, to adolescents and young adults.

Foundation for Youth Development co-founder Graeme Dingle says the new government campaigned on policies aimed at helping young people reach their potential and he wanted to show John Key how the foundation’s work is contributing in this area.

“Kiwi Can has a proven track record in helping five to 12-year-olds develop life skills. More than 15,000 students in schools from Kaeo to Stewart Island are taking part in the programme.

“It develops better individuals, schools and communities by encouraging the next generation to have pride in themselves and their environment, and reducing anti-social behaviour such as bullying, bad language and graffiti.”

It costs $300 for each child to take part in Kiwi Can for a year. It is partly funded by the school, local trust and the foundation, which relies heavily on government funding and support from corporate bodies.

The foundation’s two other programmes are Stars and Project K. Stars helps year nine students move successfully into secondary school and Project K is focused on year 10 students who are struggling to reach their potential.