Southern South Island profiles - New Zealand Ministry of Youth Development

Southern South Island profiles

See below for summary profiles of young New Zealanders from the Southern South Island who have all made positive contributions in their communities.

Shayna Forbes

Shayna Forbes is a member of the Invercargill City Youth Council’s ‘Raise Up’ crew. She is now 18 and became a mentor for other young people in this group after being involved in various youth leadership programmes. She offers leadership and support with many activities, from Kapa Haka to performance and sports events. Helping the ‘Raise Up’ crew with such a wide variety of activities means dealing with the logistics of running each event, through this Shayna has gained organisational skills. Shayna demonstrates the power of choosing to back you. She is developing positive relationships among the youth of her city and helps them discover talents and skills they didn’t know they had.

Clare Horwell

Clare Horwell is 24 and comes from Bluff. She is an experienced and enthusiastic volunteer. Clare got involved with volunteering as a teenager, working with St. Johns, the Sea Scouts and on the Spirit of New Zealand. She has worked as a support person for the IHC and is now a well respected member of Youthline Otago. She studied Psychology and Education at Otago University, and is now in her final year of a three year counselling paper at Polytechnic. She has taken her work on the telephone and woven it into the Urge Advisory Group, a web-based support network reaching out to young people in New Zealand. Clare’s CV includes presenting at a Family Violence Prevention workshop and organising fundraising for other youth-based organisations. She has not forgotten the skills which make an effective and sympathetic telephone counsellor. Her positive personality continues to make an impact on colleagues and those seeking guidance or comfort.

Benita Monteiro

Benita Monteiro is a 21 year old Youthline telephone counsellor from Dunedin. This is a volunteer position, so it shows Benita has a natural drive to reach out to others in need. She is working towards a Diploma in Human Services at Dunedin Polytechnic. Her position at Youthline has not only helped people who are stressed, lonely and in need of advice, it has developed Benita’s skills as a listener and advisor as well as building on her natural empathy. Benita has gained experience for any future career through her work at Youthline, but by offering her time and skills at no cost, she is contributing a great deal to the youth of her city.

Olivia Fitzgibbon

Olivia Fitzgibbon gives time and energy as a volunteer telephone counsellor for Youthline. Olivia is 21 and is also working towards a degree at Otago University. Her work at Youthline places her in a position of trust and influence for people who are stressed, lonely and in need of advice. Olivia has advanced her listening skills through her work, but as a counsellor she must bring her own experience and empathy to each call. She is giving a great deal to her community in this role.

Anna Bilson

Anna Bilson is a 23 year old volunteer at Youthline in Dunedin, offering her skills and time as a telephone counsellor. She is currently studying at Otago University Her work at Youthline places her in a position of trust and influence for people who are stressed, lonely and in need of advice. Anna is expanding her knowledge base in this role, as well as offering an important lifeline to young people in need of life advice and assistance.

Stacy Allen

Stacy Allen is a 23 year old psychology and social work student at Otago University. She gives up time and skills to Youthline in Dunedin, in a telephone counselling role. Her studies are compatible with this volunteer position and she is offering her community a valuable service by sharing advice and guidance with young people facing stressful situations.

Chantelle van den Boom

24 year old Chantelle van den Boom contributes to her Dunedin community by being a telephone counsellor at Youthline. Chantelle is a psychology student at Otago University and gives freely of her time and talent to the Youthline organisation. This role requires confidence, compassion and good decision making skills. Chantelle uses this chance to help young people in a very immediate way.

Helen Riley

Helen Riley is 21 and contributes to her Dunedin community by being a telephone counsellor at Youthline. Helen is currently a student at Otago University and gives freely of her time and talent to the Youthline organisation. This role requires confidence, compassion and good decision making skills. Helen has the chance to gain skills herself while helping young people in her community in a very immediate way.

Sarah Orchard

Sarah Orchard is a 24 year old Otago University who is contributing to her Dunedin community by being a telephone counsellor at Youthline. Helen is currently a student at Otago University and gives freely of her time and talent to the Youthline organisation. This role requires confidence, compassion and good decision making skills. Sarah has been gaining valuable skills while helping young people in her community in an important way.

Ranel Day

Ranel Day is 17 and lives in Mossburn, Southland. She is of Ngai Tahu descent. Her family is loved and respected in her area and Ranel is impressing people with her steadfast attitude in working towards her goals. She takes care of her brother George by driving him long distances to school and sporting events and helps her mother out extensively around the house. Ranel has sporting talent and represented Southland in Secondary School Rugby in 2007. She passed her NCEA Level 1 with Honours and is described as the world’s best babysitter. She is currently saving money by milking cows for an overseas school trip and was invited to participate in the 2008 Sky Tower Challenge which raised funds for the Leukaemia Foundation in Auckland this May, in memory of their recently passed fire-fighter father. She also helped fundraise for the Mossburn Volunteer Fire Brigade entrants in this Challenge. Ranel has not achieved high profile awards and honours, but is a consistent and warm person who demonstrates a keen love of her family and community.

Dan Luoni

Dan Luoni is an aspiring politician who wants to help young voices get heard. He is an 17 year old Gore High School pupil who is a committed student. He sits on the Gore Youth Council and was elected to represent his peers on the Gore High School Board of Trustees. Dan has shown a talent for leadership, as he was the driving force behind the creation of Youth Organised and United (YOU), a youth advocacy group. He has been appointed its spokesperson, a role he has had for about a year. Dan has plans for YOU and the next step is to attract people with the time and energy to take it to the next level. To do this they need media attention and Dan is enjoying the challenge of making their organisation a recognised name. Dan’s leadership skills were noticed by National Deputy Leader Bill English, who chose Dan as his Youth MP for a youth Parliament. Dan hopes for a broad range of young New Zealanders to get their message across to decision makers in Parliament. He is a driven and innovative personality.

Scott Summerfield

Scott Summerfield is an impressive public speaker, debater and academic achiever. He is in Year 13 at Ashburton College, is a House Captain and a Peer Support Leader and has a keen interest in world affairs. His involvement with the Canterbury Regional Model United Nations shows this commitment to using his speaking skills to good use. He has transplanted this idea of Model United Nations into Ashburton College. Scott has been a school coach and facilitator for junior debates. He has achieved many awards as a debater and a public speaker. He passed History Scholarship in Year 12 and participated in the National Festival of Shakespeare in Schools that same year. He has utilised a natural gift for public speaking and drama in getting people to participate and think about world affairs. He will be attending the National Model United Nations Conference again this year, after participating last year. Scott has a vision and determination and encourages other students to sit up and use the considerable power they have, to create change in the world they are a part of.

Adam Hall

Adam Hall is a high achieving Paralympian, currently ranked second in the world in Alpine Racing Slalom. He is 21, and lives in Wanaka. Adam has Spina Bifida and was introduced to skiing by a friend at age 6. Snow boarding followed and he caught the snow bug. As a world class athlete Adam is hugely dedicated in his training. He recently achieved four World Cup medals and six Golds from US competitions and was named most improved athlete of the year. He is currently Disabled Snowsports Athlete of the Year and was nominated for Otago Sports Person and Snow Sports NZ Athlete of the Year. Adam acts as a mentor to many of the Disabled Snow Sports younger members and gives freely of his time at the annual Adaptive Snow Sports Festival. His leadership skills are also used as a co-presenter for disability education and training. Adam takes time out to speak at various schools and at an annual lecture with his orthopaedic surgeon about Spina Bifida. Adam is a gold medal prospect for Vancouver in 2010 for his event, but he is also an enthusiastic and energetic ambassador for sport and disability in New Zealand.

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