William Pike – Sharing A Life Far Less Ordinary

The man behind a successful Youth programme which was recently launched at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, shared some of his experiences with a school audience this week.

William Pike was one of two young climbers caught in a volcanic eruption on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, in 2007. After suffering numerous life-threatening injuries, including an amputation below the knee which required extensive recovery and rehabilitation, he now works with a new generation of young Kiwi’s through the William Pike Challenge Award programme (WPCA), promoting resilience and adventure.

Rangi Ruru Dean of Year 7 and 8, Sally Fail, says hearing Mr Pike speak on Monday at Rangi’s event at the Merivale Theatre was inspirational and very well received by the capacity audience.

“Understanding how someone has overcome adversity is an important part of finding our place in the world. Hearing about overcoming adversity and achieving the most incredible things while doing that, is something we should all hear about and be regularly reminded of,” she says.

Jenelle Hooson, Rangi Ruru’s Wellbeing Co-ordinator, says it was powerful to hear William talk about students exploring their capability, developing a sense of purpose and having the support of family and friends.

“These points clearly connect with the Rangi values of Aroha and Endeavour, which are the focus of our Year 7 and 8 Wellbeing programmes. William’s discussion of the challenges he faced and how he overcame these resonated with the Growth Mindset approach teachers are developing with the girls. It was wonderful to have such a positive and inspiring role model speak to our students,” she says.

Ms Fail agrees, adding that the WPCA will help the Year 7 and 8 girls at Rangi develop important life skills including leadership, values, empathy, independent thinking and teamwork, while giving them the chance to contribute to their local communities in real and tangible ways.

“The phrases “global citizen” and “life learning” are tossed around like confetti by some in education when talking about pedagogy. At Rangi Ruru, we walk the walk which is why we are including the WPCA in our Year 8 girls’ curriculum,” she says. “We want our girls to be prepared for however life may challenge them.”

A few of the key elements of the Challenge Award programme include outdoor, community service and personal development goals, and the chance to gain the well renowned William Pike Challenge Award itself.

ENDS

WHO IS WILLIAM PIKE?

Find out more at https://williampike.co.nz/about-william/

THE WILLIAM PIKE CHALLENGE AWARD

The William Pike Challenge Award is a youth development programme with a vision to grow explorers - in every sense of the word.

We empower educators with support and resources to grow resilient, confident and capable youth that positively contribute to their local communities. Students aged 11-14 participate in 5 outdoor challenges, 20 hours of community service and 20 hours of passion projects for one year.

Our flexible structure helps passionate educators deliver purposeful Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) to develop a positive youth culture. Educators and young people use our innovative software to track progress, save time and access resources.

VISION

A world of explorers

MISSION

Creating opportunities to grow resilient, capable and connected young people.

PURPOSE

Empowering youth to explore new places, relationships and skills.

VALUES

COURAGE, TEAMWORK, RESILIENCE, COMPASSION, PRIDE, ENTHUSIASM

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

Increased capability, resilience and connectedness
Increased participation in the outdoors
Increased sense of belonging and connectedness to home, school and community
Increased student focus and direction while in a formative stage of life
Increased ability to deal with difficult situations and overcome challenges
Increased decision making skills
Increased opportunity to lead a healthy lifestyle