In the first week of the school holidays, we were lucky to have Youthline Otago join us along with Trystan from the Ministry of Youth Development for a training day for representatives from our FIVE school action groups

Bail on Bullying were hoping to join us from Dunedin but Black Ice and Below zero temperatures made travel too dangerous

Bella from MAC gives us a run down of the day below:

We started the day off with a game of Bullying Bingo; defining the line between teasing, conflict, mean moments and bullying. After that we got to know the other students from the Sticks ‘N’ Stones around the region by meeting someone with a close birthday, similar shoe size or like hobbies. This was great as we got to meet other students that have the same passion and dedication towards eliminating cyber bullying.

Next Youthline talked to us about who they are and what their service offers. They told us about how you can contact them, phone, e-mail, text or online chat.

We learnt that when you call or text them, your number or any personal details get stripped so that your call is completely confidential and you can feel safe that you can’t be traced.

After a well prepared and yummy morning tea we were back into it. Ministry of Youth Development told us about the projects that they have been creating around New Zealand. “Aotearoa Youth Voices is a network of young people that connects you to opportunities in your community.”

We then moved onto some workshops. We split into groups, half of us learnt about peer support and listening and the other group focused on planning projects. The listening group had a roleplay where one student had to pretend to be uninterested so we learnt how it feels to be ignored and what bad listening feels and looks like. We learnt how to be good listeners, and how to engage in conversation.

After a great lunch we were in workshops again, but this time learning either about boundaries and how to give a media interview.

In the boundaries exercise we learnt about how to protect yourself when dealing with others that may effect you in an emotional way. We did a exercise where you had to get as close as you could to your partner, until you felt uncomfortable. The media interview group mastered how and what to say when you are approached for an interview and created some great soundbites that they used for an article with the Dunedin STAR newspaper. They then shared what they did with the rest of the group.

We then had a photo shoot with Jacqui van Dam. We were all dressed in our Sticks ‘n Stones merchandise showing our best smiles and poses. She took some more photos of us in discussion about our next short film we were creating.

The training day was a great experience and we all learnt more so that we are equipped with knowledge and experience to help others and Sticks ‘N’ Stones.

News | MYD, Training, Youthline