Katrina Shanks MP Talks Tough on Bullying with Head Students from Tawa College

Katrina Shanks, National-list MP based in Ohariu recently met with head students from both Tawa College and Newlands College to discuss issues concerning youth in our community.

“The issue of bullying has been making headlines across the country over the past couple of weeks and as part of the discussions I wanted to have a chat with students about the issues they saw in their schools,” says Mrs Shanks.

“Head students are not only role models for their schools but they are also leaders in our community.

“It is great to see these students stepping up and using their initiatives to try and prevent bullying.

“At Tawa College for example, head students host a regular breakfast for students so that they have more opportunities to meet people and make new friends.

“We also spoke about how it’s important for senior students to include the new students, identify those who may be at risk and help them find activities to get involved in so that they can contribute in a positive way to the school community.

“We all remember how overwhelming it can be to start a new school, and its great so see these youth mentoring programs and buddy systems in place to make the transition for new students as easy as possible.”