Developing an understanding of the PAL’s (Physical Activity Leaders) programme.

On Monday twenty students from St Bede’s College and Marian College were lucky enough to attend a leadership workshop led by Sports Canterbury. The workshop focussed on developing an understanding of the PAL’s (Physical Activity Leaders) programme, which is present in many primary schools across Christchurch. The PAL’s programme encourages students to participate in physical activity to enrich their wellbeing and develop positive relationships with their peers. The aim of the workshop held at St Bede's was to develop the leadership and mentoring capabilities of students within our Kāhui Raki Hub high schools, which in turn will be shared with our three hub primary schools.

In the first session, the students covered the theory behind the PAL programme and the qualities of leadership. Students then applied some of this learning in a physical activity session, adapting play to make activities more exciting and challenging. Following this,

students paired up to explore the vision and goals of mentoring primary students as part of the PAL’s programme and fed this back to the group. All the students involved enjoyed the collaborative approach of the workshop and it was exciting to watch both high schools working together towards a common goal. The next step for our students is to help our hub primary schools lead physical activities during lunchtimes or in physical education classes.

This leadership workshop is one of a number of initiatives that have been identified within the Kāhui Raki Hub (north hub) strategic plan. This particular initiative strives to provide opportunities and education for our students on leadership and service. A fundamental goal of our Kāhui Ako is to work collaboratively to improve student outcomes.