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Shirley/Papanui youth development
A Shirley-Papanui Community Board scheme to help
young people attain their goals is having a positive effect
on the community. A Board committee meets four times a year
to consider applications from young people
living in its area. It has about $12,000 a year to
allocate and gets up to four applications a
quarter. The scheme is for people aged from
12 to 25 who live in the Papanui or Shirley
wards. Their projects should have an obvious
benefit for the applicant and, if possible, for the
wider community. Among those who have been helped
recently are: St Albans woman Olivia Bannerman, 18, got
help last year to attend Southern Ballet School in
Christchurch. Marshlands swimmer Ben Pickersgill-Brown, 15, has
received funding in 2001 and 2002 to help him pay to go
to competitions in New Zealand and overseas. Ben holds
numerous records and is ranked top in the 50m, 100m,
200m and 400m freestyle, and 50m and 100m butterfly. Lisa Graham’s sport is judo. The Redwood 16-yearold
yearold
got Board help in 2000 and 2001 to attend a NZ
Team development tour to Australia. Lisa too is a topranked
competitor. She wants to represent NZ at an
Olympic Games. St Albans yachting brothers Philip and Stephen
Keen are in their early 20s. They got Board help
last year to compete at the 470 regatta in
Australia.The brothers are now racing in Europe
and aim to win gold at the 2004 Olympics. Ara Tai Rakena got Board help in 2000 to go
on a youth exchange to France last year. The St
Albans 17-year-old had an “unforgettable year”,
learned French, philosophy and essay
techniques. Young Shirley sportsmen Phillip Elisara and
Daniel Bain, 14, got help this year to go on the NZ
Junior International Rugby League Tour to Australia in
September. Bowen Annandale, 15, of Belfast has been helped to
attend the NZ Boys under-16 softball team to compete
in Australia in July. Amanda Hamilton got help to do a certificate in
youth work in Christchurch. |