What’s the deal with conference?

You might have noticed that we’ve been going on about this “conference” thing a lot lately. It’s all over Facebook and Instagram, it’s in our newsletters and if you’ve been to one of our term one workshops you will have heard all about it there too. So what’s it all about? Let us give you all the deets about why you should consider joining us at one of our SADD conferences this year.

So what is Conference?

When you look up “conference” in the dictionary, it is defined as:

“a formal meeting of people with a shared interest, typically one that takes place over several days”

This is pretty accurate. However SADD conferences are so much more than that. Think of it as a 3 day workshop, leadership camp, networking event and creativity summit all rolled into one. It is a collective of young people who are all passionate about standing up for positive change and working towards a common goal of keeping all road users safe on New Zealand roads.

What will I actually do there?

Quite a lot really! You will learn more about road safety in New Zealand and about how you can be a part of leading positive change. You will hear about the opportunities that SADD offers to learn, develop and grow your leadership capabilities, both in the road safety space and for your own personal and future professional gain. You will collaborate with others on some awesome creative challenges and use your unique youth perspective to develop the SADD programme for current and future generations. You will take part in team building games and activities, make new friends and learn new skills. You will also eat, sleep, socialise and will leave feeling inspired, empowered and like you can change the world (which you can!)

 Who else will be there?

-          A range of like-minded young people from across the country. Many students come knowing nobody but leave with lots of new friends. Don’t worry if you don’t think you will know anyone – we will look out for you and make sure you get to know people in no time.

-          The whole SADD team including our Management team and Delivery Leads. Conference is a big highlight for us every year and we can’t wait to meet you all

-          Some local partners from key supporting agencies such as NZ Police, Fire and Emergency NZ and local councils. We are lucky to have some great supporters who come with loads of experience and some epic stories!

Do I need to already be a SADD leader to come?

Nope! You could be a long-term SADD leader, someone who is completely new to SADD, or somewhere in between. You don’t need to be your schools elected SADD rep to come, you might be new to the committee and keen to experience what it’s all about. You might not even have the SADD programme at your school yet – that’s OK! You also don’t need to be in year 13. All secondary school level students are welcome. All we ask is that you are keen to learn more and come along with an open mind and desire to create positive change. Conference is designed as a “train the trainer” style of learning, meaning that we encourage everyone who attends to go back to school and share what they have learned with other students. Therefore, many students benefit even if only one or two people from your school attend.

What did people think of last year’s conferences?

We take the time every year to find out what students think of our events and to gather feedback that we can then use to continuously improve our events the following year. Here’s some snippets from last years feedback:

• “I loved all of it but especially the opportunity to make new friends”

• “It was great meeting new people, being throw into different activities and having the opportunity to work together”

• “The staff were amazing- nice, welcoming and knew what they were talking about. We could see how much they love SADD and SADD’s messages and how much knowledge they have to share”

• “Being my 4th and final conference I think that shows how much I love it! I've made some amazing friendships over the years and I've learnt so much that I've been able to bring back to my school and community”

• “The conference was great, it was such a friendly environment and getting to be around so many people who are passionate about the same things as me was great. I wish it could've been longer!”

OK I’m totally convinced! What do I need to know to sign up?

This year we have 3 events:

-          Auckland, 14th to 16th April

-          Wellington, 18th to 20th April

-          Dunedin, 22nd to 24th April

You can register for all events by clicking here. On this page you will also find information on getting there, frequently asked questions and ways to pay. The registration fee for conference is $185 which covers all accommodation, food and activities. We do have some funding available in some areas to help students with this cost so please get in touch with our team if you would like to find out what is available.

We can’t wait to see you there!