Rewa’s wall of powerful words
Youth in Manurewa are inspiring their peers to become ‘‘leaders of now’’.
Work on the Manurewa PowerWall began on October 6 during the Manurewa Community Southmall Expo. Youth were invited to write one positive word on the wall.
Leadership, pride, honour, charity were part of the almost 200 words that made it to the wall.
Part of the project was Alfriston College head girl and Manurewa Youth MP, Chloe Destrieux.
At the launch, she says she was ‘‘lucky enough to engage young people and put some positivity in Manurewa in a physical, tangible form ... to encourage people to think of all the things they like about Manurewa’’.
As a youth MP she is about ‘‘engaging young leaders in our community. I don’t like to think of them as the leaders of tomorrow, I think they are the leaders of today’’.
‘‘I’m pleased to see the Manurewa PowerWall come to life,’’ she says.
Billy Anderson from Alfriston College wrote Love in Korean because ’’that’s a big part of what the community is about’’.
Rosemary Vai from James Cook High School wrote the word Respect because ‘‘we need more of it’’.
Pointing at the PowerWall, Manurewa Local Board Member, Sarah Colcord says it is ‘‘inspiring to see such power’’.
Because words can be ‘‘power- ful’’, she challenges the community to ‘‘speak in a manner that conveys respect and kindness’’.
‘‘Words have power, words are power and you have that power,’’ Colcord concludes.
Also present at the launch, Manurewa MP Louisa Wall says the wall gives an insight into ‘‘how young people see themselves, Manurewa and the community’’.
She says it’s a chance for the ‘‘voice of our young people to be heard. Unless we provide these spaces for our rangatahi, or young people, we can’t provide the opportunities they need’’.
‘‘The hardest thing for a young person today is to know where they’re going ... what will get them out of bed.
‘‘By providing spaces likes these, we’re asking them to start thinking about the future and what’s important to them,’’ Wall says.