"A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself" Oprah Winfrey

The University of Canterbury Golden Key Club Mentoring Programme pairs gifted and talented children from local primary schools with the University’s very own students.

The mentorship involves a University student being assigned to a small group of primary school students in years 5-6. Groups are tasked with a project of their own choosing, for an hour directly after their school day, which will be presented to teachers and family at the end of the programme.

The programme is designed to develop the pupils strategic planning, teamwork, creativity and presentation skills. It is also our hope to create a relationship between tertiary and primary level students and to preserve the cycle of community engagement the University of Canterbury prides itself in.

The group of Harrison, Cameron, and Ben created a game on Scratch, which was based similarly to the Alex the Kid games on Sega. Ashlin, Jessica, and Olivia created a manga comic with live characters. Tom and Matthew researched rockets and planes. All of the students presented their learning to their parents after school and thanked their mentors. Merrin School greatly appreciate our mentors, David, Jessica, and Zoe for their support during the 5 weeks.