Second CACTUS course heads for Longest Day

The Rotorua Area's second C.A.C.T.U.S (Combined Adolescent Challenge Training Unit and Support) course is about to come to its conclusion this weekend at Reporoa College with 25 students embarking on the gruelling "Longest Day" challenge.

This Saturday, 25 students led by five Rotorua Police officers and school and community leaders, will participate in eight hours of gruelling physical and mental challenges in the outdoors. After completing the Longest Day, the students will graduate from the programme.

The C.A.C.T.U.S course is an eight week intensive physical training course that challenges youth behaviours through a disciplined and regimented training regime, based along military lines.

This second programme at Reporoa College follows on from the very successful first C.A.C.T.U.S project run in Western Heights High School earlier this year.

Rotorua Police course co-ordinator, Sergeant Steve Sutton, says the Reporoa College course has gone extremely well, with some life changing moments for many of the students.

"We have seen a major shift in attitude from some of the students, and they have learned to work as a team. They are developing a sense of accountability in each other and themselves that they probably wouldn’t have understood without participating in the course."

The 25 students have trained three mornings a week before school each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The training includes a well-organised, military style physical training session, followed by compulsory showering and then breakfast. During breakfast the students are addressed by guest speakers and mentored by the C.A.C.T.U.S 'crew'.

"The focus is on discipline and working as a group. The feedback from students, local residents and community partners has been very positive.

"It's fantastic to be doing something positive in Reporoa and it is great to see everyone getting behind a great community project that has benefits far beyond the individuals or their school," says Sergeant Sutton.