Students do random acts of kindness
Lawnmowers a lesson in community good
What happens is, they think no one cares. We’ve got them because of their challenging behaviour, getting in trouble with police or through the courts, so we are really just there to support them and help them through their journey.
Repaired lawnmowers have provided a vehicle for a series of random acts of kindness in Te Puke. Students at Te Puke High School’s alternative education facility, Te Hapai Rangatahi, have been out doing yard work for local residents as a spin off from a youth programme.
Once a week, Nga¯ Ka¯kano Foundation’s youth cadets April Kihirini and Israel Hapi visit Te Hapai Rangatahi as part of the foundation’s Manaakitanga Programme.
“Every Tuesday we go up and do education promotional sessions with them. I cover the fitness and wellbeing side,” says Israel.
Rikihana Hancock, an Oranga Hinengaro case worker with Nga¯ Ka¯ kano Foundation, says the random acts of kindness idea came from discussion between Israel and April and the kaiako at the facility, Rob Veal.
“[Rob] had seen some old lawnmowers just tossed aside and he picked them up took them up there and the kids helped him and they got them all going again,” says Rikihana.
“Then the idea of random acts of kindness came up — it was like ‘we’ve got the lawnmowers now, let’s go and do something with them’.”
Israel says the main goals were to give back to the community and to show the students how it felt to help others.
“So that really got them and they enjoyed it, but there have been a few other outcomes that weren’t expected,” says Israel.
Some in the group are quite introverted.
“They are really quite shy and exclude themselves from the rest of the group, so it gave me a chance to talk to them individually when the others were working. You wouldn’t get anything out of them normally, but because they felt safe in their environment, wherever we were, it gave them a chance to open up to us.”
He says there was one student who was particularly withdrawn.
“Even after a few weeks of talking, she’d still exclude herself from the group. But after about the fifth week, she started participating and contributing, and started asking questions. She started opening up. That wasn’t our main goal, but it was good to have that.”
The students are also learning new skills.
“These kids didn’t even know how to start a mower, how to use a weed eater, how to go in a straight line,” says Rikihana.
“They don’t realise they are learning and contributing and caring for the community and these are lessons that we hope they will remember.”
“It’s only just round the corner that they will have to mow their own lawns,” says Israel.
The broader goal of the programme is to get the students back into the school system.
“What happens is, they think no one cares,” says Rikihana.
“We’ve got them because of their challenging behaviour, getting in trouble with police or through the courts, so we are really just there to support them and help them through their journey. Our main goal is to try and get them back from that environment into a school environment.”
He says that doesn’t always work. “But it’s our goal, as a ropu, to support those rangatahi, those tamariki to get back because we know how important education is.”
Rikihana says one of the reasons the programme has some success is the age of April and Israel who are not much older than the rangatahi.
“My age group — or even people in their 30s — they say, ‘no, you are too old’ so even getting them to talk to you, let alone do the work, is the hardest part of all.”
“[April and Israel] can get them to buy into things like the random acts of kindness, can get them to a point where they can participate and be part of the programme.”
He says then there is a ripple effect that can influence the students’ wha¯nau.
“So [April and Israel] have affected quite a few different families positively.”