Ambitious teens keen to raise up

What they lack in age and experience they more than make up for with drive and determination.

Members of the YMCA youth leadership and development programme Raise Up Clendon are working hard to transform their community for the better.

George Kaisala-Hadfield, 18, and 17-year-old Ashiyana Lesa are two of the group’s senior leaders.

They say it has 20 to 30 active members who range in age from 13 to 18. The group runs two main events per school term.

Its most recent initiatives include a clean-up of the Clendon Shopping Centre, a social night for youths aged 14 to 18, and a talent show.

‘‘All of our events are based around the community and we’re trying to give back to it,’’ KaisalaHadfield says.

‘‘When we were putting events together we talked about how the town centre really needed tidying up because there was so much rubbish.’’

More than 60 volunteers pitched in to help with the clean-up as they washed store windows, weeded gardens and collected litter.

One of the group’s many past successful activities was putting on a Christmas lunch for local homeless and disadvantaged people.

‘‘About 70 people came along,’’ Kaisala-Hadfield says. ’’We served Christmas ham, salad, chicken, and banoffee pie for dessert.’’

Invited to the meal also were people staying at Manurewa Marae as part of its Whakapiki Ora programme to offer emergency shelter to people with nowhere to live.

Lesa says they’re keen to stage another Christmas meal this year and get more Raise Up groups involved so it can be a wider South Auckland event.

Kaisala-Hadfield says the group’s goals are to demonstrate the good things happening in Clendon and show local young people who may be on the wrong path ’’there’s more to life than what they see’’.

‘‘Troubled youth is a big issue here. A lot of kids smoke and are into alcohol. We see it everywhere and we want to show them better.’’

Lesa says some youngsters are influenced by negative aspects in the community. ’’We want to help them find their true potential.’’

The Raise Up group meets from 6pm to 8pm on Mondays at the Te Matariki Clendon Community Centre, 17 Palmers Rd.

People keen to get involved can phone YMCA Raise Up co-ordinator Teina Rima on 09 269 0493.

‘‘We want to help them find their true potential.’’