During the October holidays, Year 12 ākonga Nandini Saily attended the Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD) National Leaders Programme in Christchurch.

As a SADD National Leader and leader of the Tauranga Girls’ College SADD Committee, Nandini got to spend three days in Ōtautahi bonding with other leaders whilst learning about road safety and the responsibility of all road users to look out for each other on our roads.

The programme involved several workshops about how to educate young people on road safety, as well as how to collaborate with senior management to bring road safety education into the classroom. This included learning how to make proposals for funding, give presentations, and communicate effectively.

The National Leaders Programme was a great opportunity to learn some new skills and bond with other young leaders, but for Nandini the best part of the conference was getting to ride in the fire truck with Fire and Emergency New Zealand!

“It was my highlight! It was the first time I’ve ever been in a fire truck,” she says.

The TGC SADD Committee is open to students of all ages, whether they drive, cycle, bus or walk to kura. Keep an eye out at the 2023 TGC service expo for more information about how to join.

“Everyone should join SADD. It’s a fun group environment that makes important changes, but it’s not so serious that we don’t enjoy ourselves,” says Nandini.

Congratulations Nandini on all of your hard mahi as SADD Committee Leader and now National Leader! Your Tauranga Girls’ College whānau is incredibly proud of you.

Article by Ella Mitchell