‘E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha, tēnā koutou’
To all dignitaries, cultures and affiliations, greetings to you all.
Mentoring is one of the four components of TRJ. The familiar saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is an indication of the importance for children and adolescents to be surrounded by positive adults. It is vital for young people to have a connection with another adult, apart from a parent. Resilient young people learn to cope with adversity and challenges well if they have strong connections to adults and school. Whilst adolescents may turn to their peers in times of hardship, these relationships are not always the best answer. In this day and age, face to face interaction is declining. The Rite Journey focuses on readdressing this imbalance by providing the student with the opportunity to spend quality time with a mentor.
The mentor- mentee/ tuakana–teina relationship provides a model for buddy systems. An older or more expert mentor/ tuakana helps and guides a younger or less expert mentee/ teina. In a learning environment that recognises the value of ako, the mentor-mentee/ tuakana–teina roles may be reversed at any time.
The Year 10 student and whanau choose a mentor/ tuakana based on the following criteria:
Female
Trustworthy
Patient
Supportive of the whanau values of the mentee/ teina
Willing to be contacted by parents/ whanau and teachers
20 years or older
Willing to spend time with the mentee/ teina
Willing to listen to about the mentee/ teina's dreams, ideas and concerns
Willing to share and talk about problems with the mentee/ teina
Willing and able to attend the ceremony called The Homecoming on Monday 12th December 2022, 5 - 7 pm.
Willing to work on a challenge project with the mentee/ teina.
Willing to talk to the mentee/ teina about the topics they have been covering during their Right Journey lessons.
Each mentee/ teina undertakes a project under the guidance of their mentor/ tuakana. The project may involve building or creating something, learning a new skill or refining a current skill. It is expected that this project will:
1. Equate to approximately 15 hours over the year
2. Is not done in one hit. Rather, it is a project that takes place in the evenings, on weekends or during holidays.
3. Be presented by the mentee/ teina at the end of the year, at The Homecoming.
4. The project may involve building or creating something, learning a new skill or refining a current skill. Project ideas include; family recipe book, family trees, crafts, gardening or reciprocal teaching.
5. You may choose to take photos/ videos of your progress.
For those with Mentors/ Tuakana:
As a suggestion for how you might display your mentor project/time spent with your mentor you might like to have:
A4 of photos of time spent together. If you have completed a project bring it in or have photos of it.
A4 with some words that outline:
What you and your mentor did together this year
Your favourite activities/discussions
What you learnt from your mentor
How the time you spent together has impacted your year/life.
These two sheets could then be attached to an A3 paper for presentation.
The following resources may be useful for mentors:
1. Mentor/ Tuakana Challenge Project brief
2. Termly family/whanau newsletter on this website
3. Questions/ Concerns Pathway
4. The Departure Ceremony
5. The Homecoming Ceremony Info Monday 12th December 2022
Kelly Cunningham - TIC Health & The Rite Journey, TRJ Teacher Guide kcunningham@wdsg.school.nz
Jo Monney - TRJ Teacher Guide jmonney@wdsg.school.nz
Nicola Ratima - TRJ Teacher Guide nratima@wdsg.school.nz
Maree McCarthy - TRJ Teacher Guide mmcarthy@wdsg.school.nz
John Bilsborrow - TRJ Teacher Guide jbilsborrow@wdsg.school.nz