Year 13 National Leadership Workshop Recap
Our Year 13 National Leaders have been absolute gold over the last year and a half, they are passionate, they care about their communities, they are wise, and they are also heaps of fun! So you can imagine that 3 days with all 12 of them was an awesome experience.
Last week our Year 13 National Leaders flew, bused and drove from all around NZ to meet up in Auckland for 3 days of training. The flights kept changing and buses were cancelled but we all got there in the end, and what a great 3 days it was. SADD is very proud to be a student led organisation, and our National Leaders are such a core part of what we do. See below for what they each had to say about their time together last week!
Sterling: Once again the NLP event was a gift that just kept on giving! It was so amazing to finally be able to catch up with all 12 of the year 13 NLP members and delve into the issues that we currently face in New Zealand around driving dangerously. I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the different issues and why many of the said issues are occurring. It was a very insightful trip to say the least! However my highlight would definitely be the amazing food and spectacular views!
Ben:NLP 2020 was one of my favourite experiences this year! It was such an awesome opportunity to see familiar National Leaders as well as meet new ones too. It was inspiring to be around other like-minded youth and empowered me to do more for New Zealand’s road safety. Additionally I found the leadership training and activities run throughout the event highly beneficial. Thank you to everyone who made this amazing event possible, it is hugely appreciated!!
James:The NLP Workshop has undoubtedly been the highlight of my school holidays. Being able to travel to a new part of the country to meet with awesome like minded people is a whole load of fun. The workshop has taught me about aspects of my leadership that I never would have considered, and I have really grown as a person from the experience
Oksana:The event was hands down the best experience I have had all year. The friends that I'd made in those three days, towards the end, have become borderline family. Nothing more special than learning, creating, becoming better leaders and understanding our purpose so much as we did through the workshops, with some of the kindest, smartest and most passionate young leaders NZ has to offer. Absolutely blessed to have been chosen to take part in such an amazing leadership opportunity.
Parvi Having the privilege of being at the NLP Conference and meeting new people, sharing ideas and having discussions with like-minded people as well as having some delicious free food is an experience I will never forget. One of my favourite highlights from the event was exploring Auckland City with my fellow National Leaders and having a fun night getting to know each and creating wonderful memories. Thanks to the National Leadership Programme I've experienced incredible opportunities to grow and develop on my leadership that I will always be thankful for!
Skylah The NLP event was an amazing workshop to be apart of. It was reassuring to hear everyone's struggles, highs and lows, and their stories. This event further developed not only my leadership skills, but also my ability to uplift others and strengthen my community partnerships.
Olivia The experience I had during the NLP event was so memorable and exciting that it could not be recreated. I was able to work alongside talented leaders my age, where we strive to create safer roads for New Zealand individuals. Looking back, I was able to speak up, and exude a confidence I am proud of, and for that, I say that the event was an amazing success for everyone involved.
Star-raDuring the conference Last week, I was blessed with the opportunity to finally be able to meet the 11 other SADD National leaders from around New Zealand, together we put our minds to work and came up with strategies to better our school SADD groups. We came together to talk about what our schools are doing during Safer September and what kind of activities we are getting done. We also shared how our school groups coped during Covid 19, and what we did to get back on track. During this time in Auckland we were given such an amazing opportunity to advance our leadership skills beyond what we we thought we were capable of. These SADD conferences never fail to enhance my passion for advocating for this society to be safer drivers on our roads of Aotearoa.
I loved every second at this conference. We are a very lucky bunch of students to have such amazing, passionate leaders to guide us along the way. Thank you SADD, NZTA and AA. :)
HollyThe Auckland workshop was an amazing opportunity I will cherish for a long time. It was not only the leadership skills and education that made it valuable, but the privilege to be surrounded by incredibly inspiring people while I was there. It was so nice to finally be able to meet with all the leaders in the same place at the same time ☺️
Angharad Being a part of the NLP Workshop was one of the best experiences I've had. Getting to meet all the other National leaders was wonderful and it was great to see how passionate we were not just as individuals but as a group. I really enjoyed brainstorming new ideas for SADD and working closely to see what we as leaders could change in our schools and communities. It was a worthwhile, educational and memorable experience. I feel so lucky to be a part of an amazing group of student leaders who share the same views on Road safety as I do. Thank you for this opportunity!
Lily The Auckland workshop gave me the opportunity to further my leadership skills and learn more about road safety in New Zealand. I met the rest of the year 13 National Leaders and we all became fast friends. I was inspired by their ideas and passion and learned so much from everyone who attended. Definitely the highlight of my year!
NatalieA personal highlight of our NLP event was partaking in leadership training. I discovered how to utilise my strengths to enhance my leadership style. Exploring the beautiful city of Auckland with new friends perfectly topped off the event!
Donna, SADD National Manager: Last week our year 13 SADD National Leaders gathered from all around NZ to attend our annual National Leaders event to work on developing road safety resources, contributing to safety messaging, social media content, media training and enhancing their leadership skills to empower their peers to create a road safety culture.
I was blown away by the energy and commitment these leaders had to ensure SADD continues to help prevent loss on NZ roads. I feel so privileged to be involved in working with these amazing young leaders.
A special thank you to some of our generous community partners who have supported students to attend this event. We are super grateful for your support and can’t to share the outcomes with you!
Northland Road Safety Trust
Auckland Transport
Hamilton City Council
Waikato District Council
Travel Safe Tauranga
Gisborne District Council
Wairarapa Road Safety Council
Road Safety Southland
Our SADD staff team really values hearing the ideas and thoughts of young people, we want to implement YOUR thoughts and ideas, and you do not have to be a national leader to do this. So please, if you want to contribute please get in touch with us because we would love to hear from you!