Editorial Poppie Gerber Issue 434 It is that time of year where the holidays are winding to a close, businesses are back in full swing and the younger generation of Queenstown are getting ready to go back to school. For the 2000 odd school-age students in the district this is a time of anticipation and opportunity. For some it is their first day at high school, with a packed lunch and secretly tearful parent they are sent off into the world to begin their five years of secondary education that will eventually lead them into the world as well rounded and determined individuals. It’s quite the step. For others at the other end of the spectrum it is the final year, the time to prove themselves academically and make the step to university. For all of them it is a time of goals, of new beginnings and of change. We have all been teenagers at some stage yet for many of us we cannot remember the problems that seemed to be so pressing at the time. For the most part, the students getting ready to head back to school are not thinking about their future careers or life plan. Instead they are busy wondering what teacher they will have for maths or why their boyfriend or girlfriend hasn’t texted back yet. They are wondering what the new school uniform will look like and contemplating the new status they have in the hierarchy of high school. Some will be thinking about new roles and responsibilities that they may have for the year while others may be dreading the return to academia and wishing for an eternal summer holiday. For most though the longer-term goals are harder to hold on to than the short term ones, they are less conceptual and harder to achieve. As a community we can help to make them real. Those students heading back to school are the future of Queenstown. As we become bigger and expand as a community we need to be aware of the most important natural resource of all – our youth. To create a thriving community we need to encourage the best and brightest to succeed, to go out into the world and go to university or complete an apprenticeship and then bring those skills back to our community. The best way to make a long-term goal achievable for a young person is to make it real to them. Find a goal that gets them excited, a job prospect that doesn’t seem like work. Then give them opportunity and responsibility. You’d be amazed at the results. So next time a young student has applied for a job or is out there trying to get ahead think about giving them a chance. Think about the benefit that they may be able to give to the community long-term and how helping them in some small way now may be the step that sets them up for achieving both in and out of school by making their goals a viable reality. lwb.co.nz
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 04:00:00 +0000
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