Introducing Youth Quest

Participant Feedback & Outcomes

Feedback from participants

The programme meets many of participants' objectives

Feedback from participants

"The pictures and the stories we shared gave me the confidence to share these in other places, like with my friends and family" - [Participant]

"I was surprised with the information that came from [person I support], some of it was completely new to me!" - [Participant's support person]

"i was taken aback by how many ideas my daughter had about future directions for her life... these had never come up in family conversations before, but my daughter said that this creative process, which includes expanding on ideas from the images she chose, gave her lots more new directions to explore" - [Participant's father]

Please click here for more participants feedback and outcomes / results for participants.

Feedback from parents

“We have noticed a huge change with [child name], with his communication, he is positive when he wants to do something eg [...] if he doesn't shut the gate he gets upset [and asks] dad [...] or the teacher closes the gate. [He is] compliant, puts back up and then plays, starts eating independently and we [...] parents, [want to] thank you at school! [The] teacher he likes is reading Spot, his favourite book - YouTube video and he looks at the book and wants to change the pages. [He is] engaged in [the] book and video. [His] interest became the group interest. He is a bit of a leader.

“This program helped me to identify my child’s signature strengths which took pressure off me. My child has these skills, my job is to find them. This program showed me how to do that. They were there already. That guidance from the program is important. I met some of [other] parents [...who ] don't have the benefits of this program”.

“I identified that he was brave, kind, honest, curious and funny. When I explained the words, he also picked humility and zest”.

"I listed my son's strengths and stuck them up on the fridge. A couple of days later, I heard him forcefully let his dad know how brave he was. I asked 'how do you know that?' he replied, 'you said so'".

“In the past, I never gave my child choices about what to wear, I just chose his clothes for the day. Thinking back, this caused a lot of friction. After this session I decided to ask him what he wanted to wear and I saw that he was happy to choose. I saw it in his eyes, I will never be the same. It hit me, I was that mum that said ‘put this on’ and now I realise I can let my child choose”.

Feedback from blind and low vision participants pilot

Becoming a Youth Quest Facilitator!

Charlotte has completed Level 1 (Experiential training) and has embarked in Level 2 training (Practice facilitation). She is looking forward to making a difference with her peers at Hillcrest High.

Training to face all life challenges!

Scarlett identified the programme components that will support her face all life challenges and opportunities. She achieved her first goal duing the programme and is busy planning a bunch more.

The Strength-based IEP tool we embraced

Julie Anne Richardson is Hillcrest High School Head of Faculty Inclusive Education. She was part of piloting Pictability Youth+ since 2018. She explains why including Pictability youth+ into the school's IEP process would benefit both students and teachers.

Programme tools snapshot

A Journey Map

A mother is going to use the workshop results in a planning meeting with Disability Support Link the day after the workshop! DSL is the organisation that provides families funding to support their children's aspirations. R was stoked to have these materials because she did not know how to approach the meeting. Our team spoke to her again the next day to offer help to ready for this important meeting and together we create a set of goals with her son - which he did not have belore.

Good Life Categories

Two sisters talking about how to break down their goals... and in the process one discovers her sister's aspiration to study abroad - which she did not know about! This reinforces the fact that our process does support people to address dreams and hopes that they may not have expressed before. In discussion about our goals, we use our rational brain - the side that is also responsible for keeping us safe and sometimes suppresses risky ideas... but Pictability taps into the creative brain - the side that loves adventure!

Youth from former refugee and migrant background

The Youth Quest could be offered to Secondary School immigrant or former refugee background students and to students with additional learning needs. It will support them as they navigate various barriers and challenges they may experience in today's complex world. It provides a supportive peer platform for overcoming hardships, for fighting inequities, empowering, building capacity and increasing the resilience of participants. They set their own goals, and are offered resources to support them to reach these goals. Wellbeing is central to this programme which focuses on the strengths of the participants rather than from a deficit base. It could be run for groups of students from 13-16 years of age, or those between 17- 21 as they transition from secondary school into the workplace.

Case Study

Participant: “Amina” (pseudonym), 17 years old, former refugee background

Starting Point

Amina arrived in New Zealand three years ago after fleeing conflict with her family. At school she was capable but withdrawn, hesitant to speak in English, and carrying responsibilities at home as the eldest sibling. She wanted to succeed academically but lacked confidence, friendships, and a clear pathway.

Youth Quest Experience

Through the Youth Quest programme, Amina:

Identified kindness, perseverance, and love of learning as her core strengths.
Set personal goals using Pictability®, including completing school and pursuing tertiary study in health sciences.
Practiced teamwork and leadership in structured challenges, progressing from quiet participant to group leader.
Contributed to a community project, co-hosting a cultural celebration at school where she introduced a song from her culture to peers.

Outcomes

By the end of the programme:

Confidence & Belonging: Amina built strong friendships and increased her classroom participation, with teachers noting she had “found her voice.”
Leadership: She began mentoring younger students from former refugee backgrounds, helping them adjust to school life.
Future Pathways: Amina developed a clear plan toward tertiary study in health sciences and recorded this in her Youth Quest Time Capsule.

Impact Statement

Amina’s story illustrates how Youth Quest creates equitable opportunities for young people from former refugee backgrounds to:

Discover strengths and build resilience
Connect meaningfully with peers and community
Develop leadership skills and aspirations for future education and work.

“Now I see that my strengths are part of who I am, and I can use them to help others. I feel more hopeful about my future and more connected here.” – Amina

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