An alternative educational programme is turning troubled west Auckland teens into successful adults.
Jan Grey and Grant Carey are part of Kid's Farm - a rural teaching and training environment in the Rodney district.
The programme takes on some of the worst behaved boys and girls from west Auckland -- many with an ongoing criminal history in the Youth Justice system.
Principal and manager of Kid's Farm, Grant Carey, joined the Police in 1985, working primarily in Youth Aid crime intervention programmes.
He said the Kid's Farm project targets teens that have been alienated – such as cases of exclusion or long-term truancy.
It is a day programme with classroom time in the morning and in the afternoon the teens learn practical farming skills such as fencing, managing horses, horticulture as well as workshop skills such as engineering and welding.
"The simple fact, is that our kids don't fit within the school model. [We teach] those general practical things – still from an education basis but looking at that outcome of learning for the future," he said.
Working on Causation
The programme works at sorting out underlying causes, Mr Carey said.
Cooperation between Paediatrics at Waitakere Hospital, Mental Health Services and Social Welfare help to iron out drug and alcohol abuse and health and behavioural problems among the youth.
"So we actually end up with a plan of action around the young person and, while you get some sort of resistance, as you start knocking off all those problems you start to resolve the situation. And I think that is actually what makes us different," he said. The most successful cases are those where parents also participate.
Motivation, Work Ethic, Belief in Self
Some students arrive at Kid's Farm barely able to read or write, Mr Carey said.
The morning classes help develop their reading skills. Analysing newspaper stories – separating out opinion from fact – is something the students really enjoy, he said.
Also, as part of an effort to protect native birds, the students go possum hunting – they learn proficiency in skinning and preserving skins.
A neighbouring mountain bike sports facility has given the boys an opportunity to help build mountain bike tracks, upgrade their skills and ride the tracks themselves. Activities such as these are regarded as possible avenues for future employment. "We don't pull any punches about the way we teach. We teach them pretty much the same thing as a mainstream high school but it is the way that we teach that is different," Mrs Grey said.
"Our delivery is different. These guys have to learn that respect is not an automatic thing."
Self-responsibility is learned from the beginning. The bus does not wait for students who are not on time and fizzy drinks are banned.
"The kids are now tending to bring proper packed lunches – I am seeing a decrease in convenience foods," Mrs Grey said.
"When they are working hard…twisties just don't cut it."
C-Class Drugs to A-grade Student
Anne completely turned her life around at Kid's Farm.
The 14-year-old epilepsy sufferer was caught up in her parent's cannabis dealings and was caught dealing cannabis at school. She changed schools, but started having panic attacks.
Anne was sent to Kid's Farm because of concerns for her wellbeing.
After consulting with social services, Anne was placed in a more stable family environment. In one year she went from a C student to an A student.
They are "rough around the edges, but if you dig down deep enough most of them have got a big heart", Mrs Grey said.
Success Rate
There is a 97 percent success rate in moving students onto further training, apprenticeships, employment or further education, compared with a success rate of 3 percent for similar students at mainstream schools.
Mrs Grey said boys tend to cope better in the Kid's Farm environment.
"Girls do not tend traditionally to survive in alternative education for very long. They tend to move with their peer group. You have girls who reach a certain age and are more interested in boyfriends and what-have-you."
Disruptive Student to Qualified Tradesman
David, a 13-year-old from overseas, was a disruptive student who would not settle in mainstream schools.
But at Kid's Farm David completed his bronze/silver Asdan, an NZQA-approved education programme. At 14 he was employed in a panel beaters on weekends.
At age 15 he was offered a fulltime apprenticeship, and by 19 he had completed his trade certificate.
Six months later his company gave him a position of greater responsibility. Funding Issues
But Mr Carey said that since Kid's Farm was set up seven years ago, funding has remained static.
The rising cost of living and the costs associated with transport and living on a farm will lead to the demise of the programme, he said -- unless there are funding changes.
Kid's Farm is run under the Ministry of Education's Alternative Education Project.
NOTE: All names of the students mentioned have been changed.
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