School guidance counsellors make a difference

Youth Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today thanked school guidance counsellors for their dedication to young people at the New Zealand Guidance Counsellors Conference in Hamilton.

“For some young people, guidance counsellors are one of the only positive links to the world,” Nanaia Mahuta said.

“Without them, our young people would have no other source of guidance and encouragement to make the all important choices regarding their future.”

The 2008 New Zealand School Guidance Counsellors’ Conference will be held until Wednesday, with 110 delegates at the event.

“The New Zealand School Guidance Counsellors’ conference has gone from strength to strength over recent years,” Nanaia Mahuta said.

“The conference is a great opportunity for school guidance counsellors to get together and share ideas about how to best work with our young people and their families” Nanaia Mahuta said.

She said this year’s theme, “Building Bridges/Weaving Relationships, reflects guidance counsellors’ passion and commitment to the young people they work with.

“I am proud of all guidance counsellors at the coalface in their respective schools who work tirelessly to improve and make a difference in the lives of young New Zealanders,” said Nanaia Mahuta.