We’re all heading to Conference, are you coming too?

If you’ve been around for a while, or if you follow us on social media, you’ll probably have heard about Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD Conference. It’s our biggest event series of the year and we reckon it’s one of those not-to-be-missed opportunities. In this blog we’re going to share with you a bit more information about conference and how you can register to come along.

So… what is this conference thing you keep mentioning?

Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD Conference is, in a nutshell, a leadership camp. It is a 3 day event, held in the April school holidays, where a whole bunch of awesome young people get together and take part in some really cool activities. There is a big focus on teamwork, leadership skills, problem solving and creativity. At Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD, we are seriously passionate about youth-led and youth-designed solutions to road safety issues so we hand the reigns over to you guys to put your heads together and work on some epic projects. Conference is an opportunity to meet heaps of likeminded new friends, learn loads of new skills and have fun while doing it.

While there you will take part in teambuilding games and activities, workshops designed to support your own journey, collaborate with others on team challenges, and have an opportunity to design new resources to support rangitahi across the country. Attending conference is awesome for your own development, it is a great way to build up some leadership and networking experience to include on your CV or tertiary applications.

When and where is it?

This year we are holding 3 events:
Christchurch – 11th to 13th April, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School.
Wellington – 15th to 17th April, St Patricks; College, Silverstream
Auckland – 19th to 21st April, Kings College.

Where will we stay?

The cool thing about conference is that we all stay together on site. We are being hosted by boarding schools, so they are well set up to accommodate everyone and feed us too. Registration is inclusive of everything – accommodation, catering, activities, and resources. All you need to do is get yourself to the venue and from there we take care of it all.  Our SADD team stay on site too, so there are plenty of experienced adults around to support you during the whole event.

Do I need to already know lots about SADD or road safety 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 if I don’t know anyone?

Don’t worry – right from the beginning conference is designed to connect you with new people so you won’t be on your own. 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.

What does it cost?

The registration fee is $185 – this covers everything from the minute you arrive. We are lucky to have support from the community to help students with funding so if you feel like this cost is a barrier, we can likely find some funding to help you out with this. We have set up a page on our website where you can apply to have your costs covered and we encourage you to ask your SADD Delivery Lead about what funding is available in your region or talk to your school to see if they can cover your registration fee. We are passionate about breaking down barriers for students to attend so please do talk to us if you would like to access this support.

How do I register?

All information and the links to register are on our conference webpage here – www.sadd.org.nz/conference. On this page you will also find some advice about how to get there. Registrations close early April but they may also sell out before then so we encourage you to get it sorted soon.

We can’t wait to see you there! If you have any questions, you can contact our Operations Manager – victoria@sadd.org.nz or chat to your Delivery Lead.