SEPTEMBER EDITION

What's new this month

Kia ora koutou! September is always an action-packed month for Kaitiaki o Ara. Not only are students revving up for mock exams, we also saw rangatahi hitting the streets with a mission for safer roads in Aotearoa!📢

Alongside the SAFER September madness, we weave in other kaupapa such as Mahuru Māori celebrations and Motorcycle Awareness Month. 🏍️📣

Rangatahi set out to #speakup about road safety, engage in discussions on driver behaviour, and ignite a spark for safer road use within their school and communities. 🚦🤩

Buckle up, folks! Check out what our students were up to this SAFER September. Our future leaders are ready to drive change, even in their busiest months! 🛣️🌟 A big mihi atu to all rangatahi, community partners, and supporters who got involved.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini

My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, it was not individual success but the success of a collective.

Kia pai tō rā!

• Bobbi, Programme Delivery Lead

This SAFER September has been one to remember!

Wow, what a month! There has been an incredible amount of road safety education across the motu this SAFER September and our team has been blown away by the creativity shown in your activities. We have seen loads of examples of our tried and true activities such as focus or fail courses, post-it note displays, and giant snakes and ladders games; plus we have also seen some epic new ideas this year such as using our interactive video, arranging mini driving lessons for students, and some very entertaining TikTok videos!

September and Term 3 might now be ticked off but we encourage you to keep up with your activities. We know Term 3 is a busy time for lots of schools so if you didn’t get a chance to participate, you still can! Can anyone say “SAFER October”?😉 We would love to see as many schools as possible get on board in early Term 4 to smash out one more road safety activity for the year. Our team is here to support you with ideas that will work for you.

One thing to remember is to please share your work with us! We love to see photos or even just hear about what you did. This is both so that we can celebrate and acknowledge the awesome effort you have made but also so we can share the amazing work that is happening in schools and communities all over Aotearoa with our partners.

Kaitiaki o Ara works with a wide range of organisations to provide a wrap around approach, one that supports young people in as many ways as possible to spread the word.

In South Canterbury, collaboration has been the name of the game when it comes to multiple agencies coming together in support of youth voice. Read on to find out how this region has fostered connections and is delivering positive change in the youth road safety space.

FENZ helping create a SAFER Wairarapa

Wairarapa joined forces with Fire and Emergency for SAFER September! Our student leaders from Chanel College, Wairarapa College, Mākoura College, and Ponatahi Christian School came together to champion road safety. They shared ideas, tools, and their passion for safe driving. Let's applaud these young advocates as they #speakup for safer roads in their communities! 🚗👏

Police Checkpoint in Christchurch

Ellesmere and Rolleston Colleges recently shared a roadside checkpoint in Christchurch with Police. As drivers were pulled over by Police for breath testing, students offered lollies to sober drivers as a reward for driving safely. Drivers were delighted to receive treats in acknowledgment of safe driving, and it was such a positive message to engage drivers with students.

It was a massive learning experience for both students and SADD Delivery Lead Anne-Marie as they watched drivers receiving tickets for infringements such as carrying passengers on a restricted licence or not wearing seatbelts, as well as out of date warrants and registrations.

SADD Students were able to look inside the impairment bus where drivers are further tested for alcohol or drug levels. Police also shared stories about their experiences keeping the roads safe for all drivers.

The evening presented new experiences and thinking to everyone.

This month it’s very fitting that we have a long list of people to thank for thinking of Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD.

To start with, we want to thank:

EO from Hawke’s Bay, HT of Wellington, NS in Auckland and CW also of Wellington

We also want to thank Lily McLeod - Villa Maria College (Christchurch) and Annika Mikkelson - Westlake Girls High School (Auckland) who each made contributions to SADD during SAFER September.

A big thanks to all and just as you all thought of us - we equally are thinking of you!

Renee Leabourn (Central North Island) email or call 027 239 6610
Bobbi Hutchinson (Lower North Island) email or call 021 761 649
Anne-Marie Robinson (Upper South Island) email or call 021 624 198
Mark Unwin (Lower South Island) email or call 027 451 1253