The Rotary Club of Waitakere City

WAITAKERE CITY YOUTH ASSIST PROGRAMME
2006/2007

2005 / 2006 Rotary "Saints"

PURPOSE OF PROJECT

The Waitakere City Youth Assist Basketball programme is an early intervention programme, focusing on young men aged between 13-15 years who may have been brought to the attention of the New Zealand Police as potential offenders

This programme seeks to improve the level of youth offending in the Waitakere area and offers an alternative to negative behaviour in the community, at home and within their schools. Utilising sport and physical activity as a vehicle for change has been highly successful in reaching the key objectives of this programme.

The intelligence report for the Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney districts released in 2004 identified that Waitakere city has the highest rate of youth offending.
Males aged between 14 -16 years make up 70% of all male crime committed in Waitakere City. The majority of youth crime offences take place in the suburb of Henderson (56%) (Intelligence Report for the Waitakere/North Shore/Rodney district released in 2004)

After a successful Pilot programme run during 2005 with the first inaugural Rotary “Saints” team, it was decided to extend the programme in 2006 to include a leadership section to compliment the mentoring side to the programme. Another decision was that the programme was to continue entering the 2006 Rotary “Saints” team to compete in the Waitakere basketball U/16 league, which is played at the Trusts Stadium in Henderson.

2004 / 2005 Rotary "Saints"

PROGRAMME CONTENT

As part of the NZ Breakers Community Programme, the NZ Breakers, in partnership with the Rotary City of Waitakere, Sport Waitakere and the Waitakere Police Youth Development team, have developed a basketball programme for young men identified by their schools and communities as troublesome or on the fringe of committing negative acts.

The Youth Assist program was dependent on utilizing the high national profile of the NZ Breakers players as role models for the young men. The program is run by NZ Breakers Development Manager and former Breakers Player Blake Truslove, together with other members of the NZ Breakers playing Roster and coaching staff. The NZ Breakers are in charge of coaching and development roles within the program.

The program creates a sporting platform from where young men identified as ‘fringe’ or
‘at risk’ can engage with professional athletes to experience top level basketball coaching whilst also developing along the way, positive attitudes toward self, physical activity , school and community.

This programme involves a selected group of young men being taught the skills of basketball and leadership, these skills are then put to use as the young men compete in the Waitakere Basketball Association Under 16 Division One and development leagues.

As part of the development process the inaugural 2005 squad selected the name of the “Saints” as the name the teams would play under in the competition. This name was used for the 2006 program giving the program a bit of history and tradition.

All Selected members of the Saints team are required to sign player contracts, this “buy in” process is also signed by each “Saints” member parents and schools. These contracts define the code of behavior that is expected whilst in the programme.

DELIVERY OF PROGRAMME

Identify & Selection

Recruitment & Clinics

Pre-Season Training

Competition
Weekly Training
Leadership Programme

IDENTIFY & SELECTION

The identification and selection of possible members of the youth Assist program are selected by liaison between Waitakere Youth Services and High Schools on the following categories –

Boys currently in Year 9 & 10 (currently aged 12 - 14 years old, but can be turning 15 years old next year)
Have come to the attention of their school for behaviour - may have been suspended in the past
Have possibly come to the attention of the Police - no 'violence' offences
Considered 'fringe' risk youth - borderline but not hardcore
Displays leadership qualities
Interacts well with peers
Loves sport - but may not necessarily be the best at it!

RECRUITMENT & CLINICS

After the initial selection of possible Youth Assist squad members by High Schools and the Waitakere Police. The group of Possible members are invited to attend two training camps instructed by the NZ Breakers. During these training camps a selection process will be made of the group on the basis of:

Interaction with peers
Interaction with authority – Breakers coaches, police etc
Willingness to try

TRAINING

Training sessions will run though-out the year for one hour a week and will focus on two main areas of development…

AREA ONE

Individual skills- Basic fundamental

Dribbling
Shooting
Passing
Defence
Game situation knowledge / rules

AREA TWO

Team Skills

Communication
Team dynamics, strengths and weaknesses
Running offence
Values session

COMPETITION

The “Saints” squad will be entered into the Waitakere Basketball competition. Trainings will run weekly and consist of Basic skills and game knowledge. The first season runs from February through to July.

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

The outcomes this programme is designed to achieve are:

To increase participation in, and understanding of the benefits of healthy exercise and physical activity
To develop and establish a strong partnership with relative organisations and providers in the community that benefit youth of Waitakere City
To maintain and develop relationships with programme funders
To provide youth of Waitakere City with an outlet for engaging and participating in programmes that are specifically designed to meet their needs
To provide youth of Waitakere City with an opportunity to learn about positive attitudes to sport and participation both on the court and in their personal lives
To increase young people’s connectedness to their communities and decrease the level of youth offending in Waitakere City
To create opportunities for youth that encourage social cohesion

LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Leading Others, Leading You

Courses in developing leadership

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better”
Michael Jordan

Many students show remarkable leadership potential, just waiting to be developed. From prefects and whanau leaders to sports captains and house leaders – secondary school students often find themselves in a leadership role. Effective leadership is imperative to the development of quality cultures, teams and environments.

American football legend Vince Lombardi states “leaders are made, not born”. The Leading Others, Leading You Courses give Year 10 students the opportunity to explore their potential in leadership, to identify their current strengths and to develop their leadership skill set.

The sessions consist of both theory and interactive material to equip students with the practical tools of ‘real life’ leadership. Each student will develop a personal leadership plan reflecting their qualities and leadership style related to their specific role.

Course definition:

Leading Others, Leading You –

Exploring Leadership, Defining Leadership, Styles for Quality Leadership, You – The Leader, Self Leadership, Team Building Activities, Leading Others in the Future, Personal Leadership Plan. Suitable for a group of your students, onsite, in your school or send selected students to a course.

Rotary - and example to Youth

PARTNERSHIPS

Role: Head Coach

Blake Truslove -

Junior Development Officer