Zeal creates a splash (of colour)

A project dedicated to helping youth develop their creativity has been launched with a splash of colour in Taranaki.

Zeal is a national not-for-profit organisation that aims to give young people a place to belong and teaches them how to use their creative skills, including production and event management.

In Taranaki, Zeal is fundraising $20,000 to fit out a trailer stage, which they could then take around the region and set up events in half an hour, in conjunction with high schools and other community groups.

Zeal project developer Luke Galley said the paint party at Waitara High School to launch the group’s arrival in Taranaki had been ‘‘awesome’’.

They are also looking for a suitable location for a youth development centre where young people can come and learn new skills, which could be a ‘‘home away from home’’, Galley said.

‘‘We describe ourselves as the home for creative misfits,’’ Galley said.

Every young person has worth and potential and Zeal’s goal is to tap into that and also help the young person do the same, he said. ‘‘One of the main things that we hear from young people is that they don’t fit or belong anywhere.’’

Zeal was first started 20 years ago and was brought to Taranaki to help fill a gap identified by young people themselves.

Zeal also run youth development facilities in West Auckland, Hamilton, Ka¯piti and Wellington, and youth services in Hawke’s Bay and Ka¯piti, two social enterprise cafes and in-school groups supporting youth mental health.

New Plymouth District Council has been a partner of Zeal since 2016, and the council has given the group funding of $100,000 to get them off the ground in Taranaki, councillor Stacey Hitchcock said. ‘‘Our young people are critical to building a lifestyle capital,’’ she said.

Waitara High School principal Daryl Warburton said the launch party was ‘‘pretty epic’’.

‘‘It was the first time (at a paint party) for many of us,’’ he said.