Youth voice is something we at the Y feel passionately about. So for our last column this year, we decided to turn it over to our rangatahi. We asked the learners at all our Education Centres what they wish others knew/understood about them and about the Y, and here’s what they had to say:

What do you feel society has wrong about young people?

• That we’re not just “bad eggs” – we just need to be listened to and made to feel like our voice matters too. Never judge a book by the sequel.
• People often think that this generation isn’t gonna go anywhere or do anything good with our lives.
• We are trying to make this world a better place.
• We also have tough times – it takes time to get us out of them. We wait a long time for referrals, and the counsellor we end up with is not always great or suited to us personally. We just put up with it because there are no other options and we can’t be bothered going through the whole process again.
• A lot of us are misunderstood, and pushed to the side because we’re not “adults” – our opinions don’t matter, but a lot of young people actually have great ideas and opinions.
• I think people should understand that the majority of us aren’t just dumb little kids and most of us actually know a lot of what we want in our life.
• That we’re all supposed to “love” school and that we don’t have struggles. It’s difficult to learn because of what’s going on in the world.
• That we don’t take many things seriously and that we are all tech savvy.

What is something you wish more people knew about education at the Y?

• For me, the level of care from the tutors. It helps so many students see that if you are being taught in the right way learning isn’t all that bad.
• There is not as much pressure and there is so much more help and flexibility. It really makes learning easier and makes you want to go.
• You do your work in weeks of work, rather than doing all your exams at the end of the year.
• It helps you for the future – it gives you experience about jobs, etc.
• The one-on-one help, the students fully understand what they are learning.
• It’s slower paced which makes it easier to complete your work than the normal school system.
• That they cater for learning disabilities.
• It’s not just a place where dropouts go as an excuse – it’s a good place of education.
• It makes us feel better about ourselves.
• I actually got the help I needed and wasn’t treated like an outcast.

Rangatahi today are coming of age in a society that looks quite different to what generations before them experienced, and yet it is expected they should share the same collective values, desires, goals and definition of success. Our hope at the Y is that we all meet our rangatahi where they are, listen to their voices, and use our vantage point of experience not to dictate their paths but to nurture them on their own chosen way.

From the Y Whānau to yours, we wish you a relaxing, restoring holiday season. Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia!