Free training course upskills deprived youths
A founding member of New Zealand’s longest running Pacific creative group is using his technical expertise to help east Auckland underprivileged youths.
Pacific Underground’s Pos Mavaega has started a pilot initiative which aimed to teach the technical ins-and-outs of running professional music and theatre productions.
Established in 1993, Pacific Underground is a Polynesian music and arts collective which has provided a launching pad for several notable artists and bands including Fat Freddy’s Drop, Scribe and Ladi6.
The free, 12-week technical training program would teach lighting, sound design and stage management fundamentals through a combination of theory, practical exercises, industry expertise and employer visits.
The course aimed to engage young people in the local community between the ages of 16 and 24 who were not involved in education, employment or training.
Te Oro Music and Arts Centre in Glenn Innes, an Auckland
‘‘It's a one stop-shop, Macgyver, do-ityourself, events skill kit. ’’
Council run community creative centre, provided the space for the program.
Mavaega said he wanted to establish a course which provided higher skilled technicians while at the same time giving young people the opportunity to enter the industry.
It would offer a ‘‘one stop-shop, Macgyver, do-it-yourself, events skill kit’’, he said.
A similar workshop was trialled in 2016, but due to a lack of financial support and the risk of equipment damage it needed to be formulated into a proper program, he said.
This time round funding had been provided by Youth Connections, an initiative championed by former mayor Len Brown, to get unemployed young Aucklanders into training and work.
By the end of the course students would head straight into work, or could be placed in the right training to take them further in a particular field, he said.
Program coordinator Sam Tu’itahi said having such a renowned member of the Pacific events community teaching was a great opportunity.
The initiative would also provide students with a number of essential life skills too, such as drivers training, first aid and work-site safety, Tu’itahi said.