Services & funding > Youth Development Partnership Fund > Round one projects > Make it. Take it.

Make it. Take it.

Getting Wanganui youth involved is the aim of the Make it. Take it. (MITI) Project, says Heather Cox, Youth Project Co-ordinator at the Wanganui District Council.

Funded as a result of the first round of the Ministry of Youth Development’s Youth Development Partnership Fund, the project places the development of community outcomes and events for Wanganui youth firmly into the hands of young people.

It’s about making training opportunities and experience available to young people in a range of areas including construction, event management, media and employment training.

“MITI has become a recognised brand within our community,” says Heather. We have achieved this by developing strong community relationships and networks. We have designed a logo and a slogan ‘get involved’ – we market this at any opportunity. We also have promo clothing, pens and business cards to create a greater awareness and push the MITI project as a credible and valued part of the Wanganui community.

“We have the support of a very strong governance group that includes the Wanganui District Council, Work and Income, Sport and Recreation Wanganui, Wanganui Police, Wanganui District Health Board, YMCA (Wanganui), UCOL (Wanganui), Skateboard Trust, Youth Services Trust, Youth Committee, Whanganui Community Foundation, Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority and Wanganui Youth Collective.”

Heather describes the MITI as a fun, edgy programme put together with the aim of attracting young people from different backgrounds to participate in events and projects that contribute to the community.

Events held so far have been resoundingly successful. “The first Splash Bash was so successful we held the second, just two weeks later, using the profits and continued sponsorship from the first”, says Heather.

The Splash Bash was held at the local swim centre and involved water activities, music and lights from DJ, ZM MC and competitions with prizes.

“The kids just loved having somewhere to go on a Friday night, to hang out with their mates and be safe.”

The Radioactive Rave was aimed at young people aged 15 and over.

“The young people planned the event, chose the name, theme, entertainers, secured sponsors and ran the night. They even designed their own posters and newspaper advertising and produced their own radio commercials. They had a huge job dealing with technical equipment such as lights, smoke machines and sound as well as having to book the hall and the entertainers.”

Over 400 young people attended the event and even if drum and bass wasn’t their thing, they just wanted to be there to socialise, says Heather.

The Troopz Fashion Show was part of the Mainstreet Wanganui Avestyle Fashion Week – a huge annual event – and was an opportunity to involve young people in something that had previously been more adult or business orientated.

The young people planned the event around a budget including name, theme, venue, equipment, tickets, marketing, refreshments as well as organised model auditions, choreography, set up and rehearsals.

Other projects underway include:

• ZM Radio Experience – a group of young people weekly choose a topic, put together a script for a 30 second commercial and then record it at The Radio Network. They have the freedom and opportunity to promote topics they want to tell other young people about, in a way they know young people want to hear it and will respond to.
• Whatever Page Experience – a group of young people weekly choose a topic and put together copy for an editorial feature for the The Wanganui Chronicle’s youth page – the Whatever Page. Again they have the freedom and opportunity to promote topics they want to tell other young people about, in a way they know young people want to read.

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