A very special week
This week, two very special weeks coincide. You would have heard us talking a lot about Road Safety Week; however, there is another super important week happening at the same time…Youth Week!
What it’s all about?
Youth Week celebrates the talents, passions and successes of local rangatahi across the whole of Aotearoa. This is done by young people organising, planning, and implementing a wide range of events.
Encouraging young people to participate in a new challenge is a big focus for Youth Week and allows a platform for young people to share ideas, collaborate as well as focus on all of the positive aspects of being a young person in Aotearoa.
Youth Week also takes the opportunity to recognise the people who work with young people such as youth workers and youth service providers. Young people can apply for funding from Ara Taiohi for their events up to the value of $1000!
The theme for Youth Week this year is “our voices matter, we deserve to be heard”. We here at SADD think this is such a great message and aligns strongly with our programme being youth-led. SADD young people’s voices are incredibly important in the road safety space and in the world in general. Young people spot things that other people may not, they have fresh ideas and input and a unique way of seeing things, we’d be silly not to listen!!
What people are saying about it
Fergus, who is a year 13 student at St Kevin’s College in Oamaru had this to say about Youth Week:
“The voice of youth is the voice of tomorrow which is why it’s so important that people develop that voice young and are given a say through groups like SADD.”
Where are events happening?
As mentioned previously, Youth Week events are happening across the whole country. Why not try your hand at mural painting, being a DJ, or joining a basketball tournament? To find something that could interest you in your region, check out https://arataiohi.org.nz/youthweek/events/
How can you get involved?
You don’t have to attend a Youth Week event to be involved! Just like we do with Road Safety Week, use the opportunity to start a conversation with your peers, your whānau, and your community. Ask them why it is important that rangatahi have a voice! It could be a great opportunity for a Kahoot, a survey, a piece of art, or a video.
Done something cool for Youth Week?
Have you got something happening this week? We’d love to see it! Feel free to send us your epic Youth Week photos, videos, and messages!
Reach out!
The team at SADD is always here to support our young people so please reach out to us if you need to! You can follow us on our social channels @saddnz or find our contact details on our website under ‘about – meet the team’.