AdventureWorks
Adventure-Based Youth Development
Immersive experiences in the outdoors, preparing rangatahi for life’s greatest challenges.
What we do
Adventure-based youth development designed to foster growth through experiences in natural environments, promoting confidence, capability, and connections with self, environment, and others, facilitated by skilled program leaders.
How we do this
We collaborate with mana whenua, youth organizations, and education providers to align with their objectives. We either co-create programs and events to enhance the growth of young people, or we assist organizations in selecting the most suitable program from our offerings.
Our Kaupapa
Empower young people to enhance their identity and self-belief, enabling them to achieve their goals and positively impact those around them.
Adventure-based youth development is the intentional use of outdoor recreation activities, based in the outdoors through programming that promotes personal, social group and community development.
Ā Mātou Uara/Kaupapa, Tikanga
01 Whakawhanaunga- tanga
The forming of interconnections between the members of the group and a sense of shared identity, opportunities to support positive interactions with each other, develop friendships, explore what is important and co-construct goals and outcomes for the day.
02 Kaitiakitanga
Identify our responsibilities to care for the land and natural environment that sustains us in body, mind and spirit. How do we protect, restore, and enhance the taiao/te ao tūroa and its mauri through our actions, here in this environment and in other parts of our lives too. Caring for the taiao (a) for its own sake, (b) in honour of our tīpuna (ancestors) who have gone before us and their many connections to the taiao and its taonga, and (c) for all those who come after us.
03 Manaakitanga
Showing care and compassion for each other, being supportive and encouraging, respecting differences and diversity. Acting in ways that acknowledge, respect, and encourage the mana of others with whom we are connected in some way.
04 Kotahitanga
Unity, solidarity, and collective action towards the group’s goals and purpose. E kore te tōtara e tū noa i te parae, engari me tū i roto i te wao nui ā Tāne. The tōtara tree (like each of us) does not stand alone in the field, but within the great forest of Tāne (we stand together).
05 Kaikōkiritanga
Push beyond the familiar and develop through experience, adventure and challenge.
06 Rangatiratanga
At the end of the day, reflect on how your mana has strengthened as a result of this experience. What are you proud of, how have you grown, what strengths have you gained, who helped you, who did you help.
Funding
This program is delivered through our charitable organisation, the ELTA Trust. The trust will apply for money from Sport New Zealand and other organisations that fund charities. We are endeavouring to have this fully or partly funded to reduce the cost to rangatahi, or the organisation they may come from.
Although we are an experienced outdoor education provider, this is the beginning of our journey into receiving community funding to provide these programmes. We will apply for funding on a group by group basis, after a programme of activities has been agreed upon.
Activity examples
Each of the following activities, or in particular each day of activity will open and close with karakia. Woven within each activity (as appropriate) will be kōrero about Ngā Ātua of the environmental realm that we are in for that activity, and thus - from a Te Ao Māori world-view - the spiritual connection that we all have to these environments (no matter what one’s ancestry, nationality, ethnicity etc may be).
Unit standards
As a Private Training Establishment we have a range of unit standards that we hold consent to assess. If you are interested in rangatahi gaining level 1,2 or 3 Unit Standards let us know and we can discuss what could be included
Equipment
AdventureWorks has all of the equipment and resources required to deliver these activities. Rangatahi just need to turn up in their regular clothes.
Transport
Adventure Works has multiple passenger vans and transport can be included with our programs. Our instructors would meet the group at your base, take them out for the day’s activity and then return back to your base.
Instructors
Our instructors are qualified in the activities they will be instructing in, and are experienced working with rangatahi to deliver intentional youth development programs using adventure activities.
Safety
AdventureWorks is registered as an adventure activity operator and meets the Adventure Activity Regulations under the Health and Safety at Work act 2016. We will provide a program plan and Risk and Hazard assessment information according to your organisations needs.
Group Age and numbers
We work with rangatahi aged 14 to 19.
We keep our ratio of rangatahi to instructors low. The best ratio for us is 10 -14 rangatahi with two instructors. This means that we can provide a person centred experience, focusing on developmental outcomes for the rangatahi.
