News
Kids Battle it out for annual Youthtown Get2Go title
Yahoo! New Zealand Sport Article
Ninety six school students from all corners of New Zealand have travelled to OPC Great Barrier for the annual Youthtown Get2Go Challenge this week. Here they will be competing against each other for the title of New Zealand's most adventurous young teens.
The twelve mixed gender teams comprise of Year 9 and 10 students who are competing in the annual five-day battle held from 5 - 9 December. The winner will take away the 2011 Youthtown Get2Go championship title.
Each of the eight-person teams qualified for the final by winning their one-day regional Youthtown Get2Go challenge earlier in the year. They had to tackle a range of fun but testing challenges including orienteering, kayaking, rock climbing and mountain biking.
"We like to think of it as an OPC mixture of The Amazing Race, Survivor and Treasure Island," says Darren Ashmore, Events Manager for the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand (OPC).
"We'll be throwing a wide variety of outdoor challenges at these teams, pushing them to excel in activities they might never have tackled before," adds Ashmore. "At the end of the week, the team that displays the most courage, tenacity and skill will take out the winning title."
"It's the country's premier outdoor adventure title for this age group, so these teenagers take it very seriously. The best moments are when these kids successfully overcome not just the competition, but their own perceptions of their limits and that's what the Youthtown Get2Go challenge is all about".
Youthtown CEO Keith Thorpe says, "The Get2Go challenge is a great initiative which fits perfectly with the Youthtown philosophy of enriching the lives of young New Zealanders through physical, social and creative experiences. We are delighted to support OPC with this event for the second year running and help encourage Kiwi kids to get active outdoors."
In its 6th year, this challenge is the junior equivalent to the Genesis Energy Hillary Challenge for senior secondary students also run annually by OPC, at their Tongariro mountain base.
For more information on the Youthtown Get2Go challenge, visit www.opc.org.nz
Check out what the NelsonMail had to say about the Waimea College Get2Go Team!
2011 Tertiary Graduation
Congratulations to the National Diploma in Outdoor Recreation (Instructing) and Certificate in Outdoor Skills and Leadership graduating classes of 2011!
2011 National Diploma in Outdoor Recreation (Instructing)
Back Row(left to right): David Wright; Craig Scott; Callum Harris, Ryan Ord-Speed
Front Row: Peter Hanne; Marcel Guy; Amanda Sanders; Lee Giles
Front Centre: Diploma Instructor Jamie Barclay
2011 Certificate in Outdoor Skills and Leadership
Back Row(left to right): Ben Vaughan; Tania Hendry; Nic Ewen; Joel Helliwell; Rebekah Clews; Ashley Patterson; Rebecca Van Rossum; Emma Yates; Nicole Murray; Aaron Dekker
Front Row: Certificate Lead Instructor Graeme Swift; Chloe Beer; Certificate Instructor Mo Laurie
OPC announces new curriculum-aligned five week student programme
The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand (OPC) launched a new long term five week programme on Monday 10 October in Parnell, offering an educational learning journey combined with rich outdoor experiences, in addition to its present student programmes.
The event was hosted by OPC sponsor Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand. In a presentation to guests Worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts spoke of the “exponential benefits” of partnering with an organisation dedicated to developing and educating young people through experiences in New Zealand’s great outdoors.
Roberts highlighted his own experience of being inspired by Sir Edmund Hillary and the physically-challenging life he lived for. Roberts reflected that "being active physically is at the heart of happiness, wellbeing, and Peak Performance" and that "OPC is underpinned by physical, outdoor learning experiences that foster an understanding of self, others and place in our young people."
The new programme is designed to closely align with the New Zealand school curriculum with more relevant content and a stronger approach in targeting areas of NCEA achievement standards and unit standards.
OPC’s Chief Executive Graham Seatter comments, “We believe in 21st century education and have aligned our education philosophy to keep us more relevant whilst further developing young people into our future leaders within a unique and inspiring Kiwi environment.”
Kelvin Whiting, Principal of Hillcrest High School in Hamilton, which will be piloting the five week programme on Great Barrier Island in 2012, confirmed the enthusiasm and support the school has obtained from parents and students signing up for the programme.
“The incredible educational benefits our students will gain on this trip will be on so many levels, from developing their spirit and stamina in our unspoiled Kiwi backyard to having to make joint sustainability decisions on how many showers can be taken before the generator is switched off for the night” comments Whiting.
Other speakers included Chloe Archer, Head Girl at Westlake Girls High School who described her OPC experience as “life-changing and invaluable” to her Year 13 academic, sporting and leadership pursuits. As well as Callum Harris whose journey with OPC started at a national Get2Go event and has developed into his imminent graduation to a qualified OPC instructor.
Among the business and education leaders attending the event were the Rt Hon Dame Jenny Shipley, Chair of Genesis Energy, which has a long standing sponsorship association with OPC and Michael Gill, a close colleague of Sir Edmund Hillary, who has personally donated funds for building new high rope facilities on Great Barrier Island.
Check out this insightful article about developments at our Great Barrier Island Centre.
Learning by Living in the Great Outdoors - Brigid Graney