The Gold Residential Project is an additional section at Gold level and is an opportunity to use many of the skills developed during the overall Award experience such as teamwork and leadership.

This involves spending five consecutive days and four nights in a residential setting where you are working towards a common purpose. Participants have the opportunity to share a purposeful experience with people who are not their usual companions and work towards a common goal, set out by the participants themselves. Through the Gold Residential Project participants will meet new people, explore life in an unfamiliar environment, develop new skills and, hopefully, have a life changing experience

Two students attended New Zealand Business Week and participated in the Brave Thinkers Programme - here are some reflections:

Renae Adrian 13KMA
The Brave Thinkers programme is made to inspire young minds and encourage brave thinking. This programme allows you to look at new business models, and meet business people while being surrounded by like-minded people. The most challenging part for me was the simulated interview. We learnt how to be an effective interviewee and were given a real job application. Putting that knowledge into real life was quite daunting but I managed to get the job. My highlight was attending the air force base in Ohakea. Joining the New Zealand Air Force is a big interest of mine and being able to have the opportunity to talk to people first-hand working there, helped me have a better understanding of where the Air Force can take me. I recommend this to anyone willing to be inspired and to open their eyes to all the different opportunities that are out there. All the speakers came from very different backgrounds and all found a path to success. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity.

Scarlett Crotty 12TTS

To complete my Gold Residential I took part in New Zealand Business Week which was held in Palmerston North. Speakers came to tell us how they started their businesses and what it takes to keep them going. We went on several visits to OBO Hockey, Wildbase Recovery and RNZAF Base Ohakea throughout the week that were fun and engaging. A challenge I faced during the week was during the interview simulation. People from companies such as Toyota and Property Brokers interviewed us and gave us tips on how to prepare for interviews and how we could improve. My personal highlight was the visit to RNZAF Base Ohakea. We had a tour within the workshops and we got the opportunity to talk to pilots about their day to day life. We were able to go in an aeroplane simulation and have a tour of the pilots buildings. I would recommend this programme because I made connections with people who have the same interests and it has taught me how to start a good business. The information I learnt during the week will be useful for potential career opportunities in the future.