Canty unis blaze trail for kids to plug into studies
Canterbury will become home to New Zealand’s first Children’s University, ‘‘connecting the city through learning’’, its proponents say.
Lincoln University, Canterbury University (UC), and the Christchurch City Council are seeking community partners to help launch a homegrown version of the award-winning international programme by April.
It will offer educational experiences to children aged 5 to
14 and volunteering opportunities for 14 to 17 year olds that aim to point children, often from lowdecile communities, towards tertiary study. Canterbury children whose schools sign up will earn stamps over two years on a ‘‘passport to learning’’ for each hour spent on out-of-school activities with approved partners, tipped to include sports and culture clubs, UC’s Student Volunteer Army, Canterbury Museum and Christchurch Airport.
Once they have accumulated enough stamps, children would be awarded a Children’s University certificate in a traditional cap-and-gown ceremony.
Linwood school Te Pa o Rakaihautu is expected to be first to trial the initiative, and it is understood four other Canterbury schools have shown an interest.
The Children’s University model, first developed in the United Kingdom in the
1990s and now operating in 80 countries, requires ‘‘leaders’’ – parents, school teachers, or older Children’s University students – to deliver activities after school or during lunch breaks. Schools will be able to list the Children’s University activities on offer each day and children would ideally spend no more than 30 hours a year on a single activity.
The council wants to register community groups and businesses that can offer an educational benefit and become learning destinations, and wants sponsorship for activities that would otherwise be too costly for families.
‘‘It’s about raising aspirations, it’s about a love of learning and connecting the city through learning,’’ city councillor Anne Galloway said.
‘‘There will be people in the city who haven’t been to the Arts Centre or the Art Gallery. We have children in our community who wouldn’t travel outside their neighbourhood and we want to connect them with the opportunities we have in the city.’’
A small group of city council and university staff will travel to Adelaide next week, visiting the Children’s University of Adelaide in preparation. One of its staff will be seconded to Christchurch to shepherd the programme through its first year.
Children’s University of New Zealand patron and Lincoln University vice-chancellor Professor James McWha was previously involved with the Adelaide programme, which has grown to include more than 200 schools and 400 corporate and community partners since it was established in 2013.
‘‘People would say ‘we don’t go to university’. If you’re from a family that has members who don’t go to university, it’s a big scary place,’’ McWha said.
‘‘This is about stopping kids from just sitting at home in front of a screen.’’
The activities available in Christchurch will depend on the partners enlisted, but UC assistant vice-chancellor Dr Catherine Moran indicated they could involve the Botanic Gardens and Christchurch’s residential red zone.
Lincoln University is likely to offer environmental and food productionrelated experiences, and UC could use the Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities at its Arts Centre campus, she said.
‘‘Christchurch after the earthquakes being so focussed on community . . . there is a lot of learning that is going on around the city.
‘‘Although it [Children’s University] is aligned with skills related to a university degree, we try to tie in key disciplines like communication that are recognised as being important for learning generally.’’
Moran said she hoped the programme would eventually expand to the West Coast and Nelson-Tasman regions.
‘‘I’m pretty proud actually that the South Island has jumped first and said ‘we’re going to do this’.’’