Ron Seeto welcomed our guest Christine Fernyhough to the meeting;
Christine has gone from Auckland Glamour Socialite to farmer and now volunteer / fundraiser.
Amongst other things she co founded books in homes, is a Companion of NZ Order of Merit, and has been the recipient of a PHF - Sapphire
She currently volunteers in Limited Service Volunteers and at out meeting she won the raffle with #76 and it was her birthday last Friday as well.
She had 10 yrs farming in Castlehill in the Canturbury High Country, and has her very own Museum of everyday NZ
What Christine came to talk to us about was the LSV Programme - a Partnership between WINZ and the Defence Force. The course costs $7K per trainee and is run as if it were a boot camp.
The program is aimed at 17 - 24 yr old trainees / youth and gives them boundaries, self respect and responsibility. It is a 6 week course and at the end 75 - 80% get jobs.
Burnham Military Camp does most of the course and Hobsonville does the balance.
The program teaches the volunteers social skills and works on their literacy as a common denominator amongst the volunteers is poor literacy.
After 2 weeks their performance is reviewed and they are told what they have to improve on. After 4 weeks NZ's major Corporates arrive offering work.
Whenuapai opens 21 June 2019 and the intake will go from 1000 to 1600.
Christine gave us an example of a volunteer -Graduate Dave McQueen who over the course of the program went from being a bit of a scoundrel to Captain of a Navy boat; as a result of the course!!
Christine is looking for support to assist with the purchase of bean bags for the LSV participants and books for Whenuapai to support the LSV intake in early July.
Christine's address was instructive and shows us that sometimes the LSV concept can actually be beneficial for some (at least) young people teaching them self respect.