Youth Affairs Support To Expand Long-Established Awards Programme
An announcement will be made at Café Espressoholic, Wellington at 8 am on Wednesday 22nd May regarding a new
collaborative partnership between The Ministry of Youth Affairs and The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge.
The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is to get financial support from the Ministry of
Youth Affairs to allow it to reach young people who until now may not have had an opportunity to take advantage of the
programme.
The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge, until recently known as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, has been operating in New
Zealand for four decades and offers young people aged 14 to 25 the opportunity to participate in a voluntary, non
competitive programme of leisure activities that provide a personal and individual challenge.
Under the new initiative, the Ministry of Youth Affairs will provide funding to help The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge
extend delivery of its programme beyond schools and voluntary organisations and into the communities where young people
live.
The Executive Director of The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge, Dudley Hewitt says the confidence shown in the programme
by the Minister of Youth Affairs, Laila Harré and the support of the Ministry of Youth Affairs will be significant. “At
the moment, more than 15,000 young people are taking the programme, but this support will help us extend its reach to
youth who are at risk, or disadvantaged.”
The Ministry of Youth Affairs funding of The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge is in line with the Government’s policy to
promote youth development under the Youth Development Strategy launched in February.
The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge is part of an international movement that operates in more than 120 countries under
a variety of titles and as such is one of the fastest growing youth development programmes in the world.
For further information contact:
Cindy Naresh
The Young New Zealanders’ Challenge of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Phone: 04 473 0715
or
Dudley Hewitt
Mobile: 025 916 618