Nepotism is not something we associate with Rotary but the success of Peter Taylor’s whanau as he announced the meat raffle results and the introduction of Past President Mike’s daughter Jen as the guest speaker might raise some pertinent questions!

As a person with years of experience in dealing with at-risk young people and the social workers who handle their cases Jen Collins, our guest speaker, is well placed to give personal insights into the nature of youth offending - what leads to it and what is being done about it.
Using the name Jackson for an avatar embodying all the developmental aspects likely to affect a young person’s growth - physical, social, emotional and environmental - we were given a comprehensive and meaningful insight into troubling trends in contemporary NZ society.

 

 

 

Jen covered three stages of development, using the title ‘Trauma informed youth development’ starting with conception to the age of about 3. Unplanned pregnancy, school drop-out, father in prison, little family support, alcohol or drug addiction and no role models on which to base parenting skills, Jackson’s mum is up against it from the start. Jen referred to a ‘disturbed attachment cycle’ e.g. baby cries as needing something – nappy change, drink, food – mother either ignores or reacts negatively – more crying, eventual rage or apathy – no play or close attachment, in short a scary unpredictable world. This is TRAUMA – a response to events without the skills to cope. The effect on the brain’s development was explained – the start of severe behavioural problems.

Early and middle childhood sees an escalation of the issues – Jackson out at night, scared to go home,  a loner or caught up with older anti-social role models, wagging school, risk taking, having contact with Oranga Tamariki or Youth Justice system but suspicious of outsiders – able to identify who may or may not be ‘safe’ to interact with.. Even if ‘clean’ and supported, parents still not able to cope. Emotional brain poorly developed.
Teenage years – openly and intentionally defiant, socially isolated – picks fights, carries a weapon, car conversion and ram raids, rejecting any help., self-harming, STDs, domestic abuse, poor housing, discrimination, anger etc., etc. etc. Interventions may include youth Justice system, alternative education, a youth worker alongside, therapy for parents, marae based programmes etc.  All pretty scary stuff!

 

 

BUT things are happening and wrap-around programmes are showing signs of success.  More training is being given to social workers on understanding the trauma origins of behavioural issues and statistics put a lie to the viewpoint that it’s all going downhill. So Jen’s address ended on a reasonably positive note and listeners could take comfort in the fact that people like her are hanging in there, determined to make a positive difference. A very Rotary thing!

 
Over this last week both Riverina Primary and Anchorage Park primary school year 4 students were presented with the Rotary-sponsored dictionaries. President Govind joined Peter Woodcock and Bill Duncan to hand out the dictionaries to 21 excited and grateful pupils at Riverina last week and Govind and Peter repeated the occasion for 23 pupils at Anchorage Park on Monday.  As always,there were smiles all round as the students excitedly leafed through their new possesssion, trying to be the first to find the word 'giraffe'!  All good fun.
 

 

The election of Bill Boyd as Rotary International President for the 2006/7 year, triggered a celebration by Pakuranga Rotary and culminated in deciding about how best the Club could commemorate this appointment.

 

It was agreed to form a charitable trust and with RIPP Bill’s blessing, it was decided to focus on a basic need for literacy as a suitable focus. 

With Bill & wife Lorna’s advice, the Trust found an attractive children’s dictionary published in the United Kingdom by Usborne. Thus in 2008, through the New Zealand publisher Harper Collins, an initial order of 7000 Usborne Illustrated English Dictionaries was placed. To date the Trust has had sales of over 220,000 copies, amounting to a retail value of around $6 million. These dictionaries are distributed by Rotary Clubs throughout New Zealand and some Pacific Islands, to year 4 (8-9 year olds), mostly from lower socio-economic primary schools. Prisons and special needs places have been added to the list over the years.

 

 

The current Trustees are Bill & Lorna Boyd for life, Rotarians, Bill Duncan, Tony Fortune, Trish Plowright and Russell Toplis, not forgetting the late Noel Holyoake as initial Chairman & Ross Craig, a founder trustee, who arranged for generous donations to be made from other charitable trusts, enabling the Boyd Trust to access large orders of books at most favourable terms. The Trillian Trust has also generously advanced funds to assist special Trust distributions and publications, as well as the Education First Trust for books in Fiji and recently, the June Gray Charitable Trust in support of new publications.

 

The first Operations Manager was Rotarian David Wardell, a former primary principal/teacher, who established a programme for the Rotary Clubs and helped promote it throughout the New Zealand Rotary Districts. David was followed by Rotarian Graham Kearns who has continued the service to great effect. He developed an effective website with past Rotarian Richard Crookes, which allows online ordering, streamlining the operations of the Trust. The Trust has also trialled a simple Atlas, plus added a new entrant’s and pre-school book with flashcards called “Rhyming around the Alphabet” with initial sales in excess of 5000 packs. 

 

 

 

During the fifteen years the Trust has been in existence the Boyd’s have spent many hours fostering the Trust’s chosen principal object of literacy and have done all they can to establish the Trust as one of New Zealand Rotary’s major and continuing achievements.

 

Having an interesting Bulletin, that reflects what our club is doing and what our members are thinking and contributing is important.

The best way to ensure that, that happens,  is for you the members, to provide material. 

 

If you have interesting Rotary news you would like to share, a review of a book, television programme or film you think other members would enjoy or benefit from, a humorous item  or simply something that you have done that others will find interesting then send it to me, the editor.

 

It needs to be less than 250 words and in order to be published has to meet the Four Way Test and reflect well on Rotary and our club.

Images to accompany your submission will be really helpful.