Rangatahi find growth putting vital life skills into practice

Mana College student LA and Wainuiomata High School student Angel McMillan push themselves out of their comfort zone and build confidence.

Outward Bound’s Whakatipu (Growth) programme is designed for rangatahi to cultivate vital life skills and to help bridge the gap between knowledge learned at school and the skills required by employers.

This year, places on the Whakatipu course were allocated to regions throughout New Zealand, including Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Thames and Coromandel, Taranaki, Rangitikei, Horowhenua, Hutt Valley, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman, Canterbury, Otago and Southland.

 The eight-day course immerses students in challenging outdoor experiences, where they work with 13 other students to overcome obstacles and solve problems as a team.

It offers a mix of adventure, teamwork, challenge, and reflection. During the course, students gain tools to identify strengths, set goals, and understand what truly matters to them.

Mana College student LA

Most recently, Mana College Year 13 student LA joined 13 other secondary school students from across the country to push themselves to their limits.

“Being at Outward Bound changed my views. I’ve become more accepting and patient, remembering that we all think and feel things in our own way. I know that when I leave school, I’ll be working with people who are different to me, and that’s great.”

LA already knows what career she wants when she leaves school – to be an electrician like her uncle. However, she admits she lacked many of the soft skills, like patience, which are essential to successfully navigate the world of work. That is, before she was nominated to attend the Whakatipu course.

Steve Haerewa, Mana College’s head of construction, says LA is one of his top students, displaying a lot of talent and that’s why she was nominated for the course.

“We selected her to go on the Whakatipu course because we wanted her to develop her confidence, work on her communication skills, and get out and see the world. She is a young woman who needed to be pushed out of her comfort zone to gain more life skills, and we knew Whakatipu would give her that,” says Steve.

LA is a top construction student and displays a lot of talent.

“She’ll realise how important these skills relate to a range of people when dealing with real-world situations.”

Targeted to individual needs

Krishan Kumar, Outward Bound’s community development partner, believes the programme offers rangatahi a unique opportunity to not only develop soft skills but to actively put them into practice.

“Students will carry these crucial soft skills with them for the rest of their lives, no matter the industry they work in,” says Krishan.

Outward Bound gathers employer and teacher feedback about a student’s areas for growth prior to the course, and this is used to tailor the course delivery to their individual needs with targeted outcomes.

But the Whakatipu programme goes beyond personal development – it focuses specifically on work readiness for rangatahi, helping students identify and apply soft skills in real-life situations.

Whakatipu also empowers rangatahi to step up and realise their potential as positive and contributing members of their communities, seeking to make a lasting impact on their lives.

Teamwork and leadership

Another recent course graduate was Angel from Wainuiomata High School, who has always been inspired by engineering and discovering how things work but wanted more of the skills sought by employers.

Angel has always been inspired by engineering and discovering how things work.

“I didn’t know what soft skills were before I went to Outward Bound,” admits Angel. “But I knew I wanted to learn about teamwork and have some new experiences. And I did!”

Her dream to become an engineer has begun with a part-time job in a factory, and this year she has a Gateway placement at Petone Engineering.

Gateway coordinator Tony Harrington says Angel has a lot of potential, and amassing some life skills will stand her in good stead once she leaves school. He says he was excited to nominate Angel for Outward Bound.

“I’ve sent Gateway students to Outward Bound before, and the Whakatipu course provides a fantastic opportunity to develop soft skills,” says Tony.

Now Angel is back from her course, that sentiment has proven right.

“I learned so much about how soft skills apply to everyday situations. In every activity we did, there was a lot of teamwork needed, and we needed to make sure everyone was involved. I realised how important these types of skills, such as leadership, are,” says Angel.

“My experiences at Outward Bound have also helped me with my confidence, resilience and decision-making. When a challenge comes up now, I often think, ‘I got through Outward Bound, so I should be able to get through this!’”

For more information, visit outwardbound.co.nz(external link).