Climate-conscious Waikato youth ready to lead

Climate-conscious rangatahi (students) from across our rohe (region) are better equipped to tackle tough conversations after attending our innovative Enviroleaders skills day. 

The youth leadership development day, which took place at the Wintec campus in Hamilton on Wednesday, 10 May, brought together students with a passion for the environment from several high schools from across our region, including Paeroa College, Rototuna Senior High School, Te Aroha College and Hillcrest High School. 

Lexi, 15, from Paeroa College says her favourite part of the day was “getting the experience of meeting other students who are interested in the same issues”.

“I feel more confident after meeting more people who care about the same things that I do.” 

Alongside students from the participating Waikato Enviroschools, young people in Waikato Regional Council’s internship programme and Rangatahi Voices, an independent, youth-led forum created to give young people in the Waikato a platform to influence positive change, also took part.

Michelle Daly, Waikato Regional Council’s Senior Education Advisor responsible for coordinating Enviroschools in the Waikato, Learning and Development Lead Katie-Anne Dimond, and Environmental Education Facilitator Anna Cunningham worked collaboratively to develop and host the special training session. 

Michelle says connecting youth to a self-awareness journey before they begin their career provides “a real head start” for them.

“They can start right away with the communication strategies we introduced,” she says.

“It’s very uplifting to work with such open minded and committed rangatahi. I always come away from these days hopeful that the future is in good hands!”

Over the course of the day, the budding leaders delved deep into their personality types and communication styles, and brainstormed how to navigate difficult situations through exercises developed by the council’s People and Capability section.

Nury Choi, 17, from Rototuna Senior High School, says it was a “privilege to experience first-hand the passion and dedication that the facilitators of Enviroschools demonstrated. They created an insightful programme centred around leadership and communication." 

“I learnt skills that I not only plan to apply in my own leadership journey, but also want to share with others.”

So, how did the Enviroleaders skills day come about? Michelle reached out to the council’s People and Capability team after experiencing the benefits of their leadership training herself last year.

The team jumped at the opportunity to share our council’s leadership development knowledge and resources to help equip future leaders with the skills they need to navigate difficult situations.

Katie-Anne says it was an amazing opportunity to be part of the inspiring mahi our Enviroschools team do, and a privilege to spend the day with passionate students who are leading the way on such important issues.”

Says Michelle: “Working with Katie-Anne Dimond was incredible, we really value the gift of her material and the expertise in delivering the content.”

Young people aren’t the only ones who can feel overwhelmed when it comes to making change happen. We asked Michelle what she would say to anyone who feels like they can’t make a difference.

“Start small and celebrate these steps. Start talking to others and you will find people who you can weave together to support each other and work together to make a difference in your community.”