MEDIA RELEASE 1 November 2013
________________________________________________________________________
Dominic Bird soars to new heights after Project K
Dominic Bird, a graduate of the Foundation for Youth Development’s (FYD) Project K programme makes his All Blacks debut
in Tokyo this weekend.
FYD is pleased to congratulate Dominic Bird on his success. Dominic was a student on the Project K programme and also
the winner of the 2012 FYD Sir Edmund Hillary Youth Achievement Award
Dominic Bird says “My relationship with Project K started in my fourth form year so I was 14 and was just cruising
through school enjoying sport and the social life. I was pretty laid back and like most teenage boys did minimal work in
the classroom. I was a quiet, go with the flow and easily influenced young chap who was hanging out with the wrong
crowd. I look back now and can see I was a kid who just needed a solid boot to get me into gear and on the right track.
What I needed was some kind of youth development course to do the job”.
CEO, Marion Short says “We’re so proud of Dominic; his progress, achievements, perseverance and commitment to achieving
his goals are exceptional and a great example of the difference FYD’s programmes can make to the lives of our young
people.
Crusaders lock Dominic Bird makes his All Blacks debut against Japan at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Dominic Bird said in accepting his FYD Sir Edmund Hillary Youth Achievement Award “I would like to say thanks to Project
K and FYD for the things they taught me as a young man as those seeds that were planted have grown and given me some
useful foundations that have helped me become who I am today”.
FYD currently helps more than 17,000 young New Zealanders each year through its proven programmes - Kiwi Can, Stars, Project K, Career Navigator and MYND. All FYD programmes build on young people’s talents through physical and mental challenges; developing core life skills
and helping them achieve their potential in order to succeed in life.
Ends