David’s Story

Hi my name is David. I might look like your ordinary 11 year old but the challenges I have faced and the struggles I have been through is what makes me different. I want to talk about how Kiwi Can helps every Kiwi kid and alternative learners who receive Kiwi Can and provides skills for building positive relationships and dealing with hard situations, developing in us resilience and self-esteem. In Term One we learnt about Positive Relationships, in Term Two we learnt Integrity, which is doing the right thing even when no-one is watching, and Term Three is Resilience and Term Four is Respect.

In Year Three I had a particular teacher who didn’t really understand me. If a kid did something very bad to me they wouldn’t get in trouble, I did though. Even if the teacher saw them. If I retaliated I would be the one in trouble. Often I would get in trouble and I would cry to my mum about it. Then one night it all got too much. Me and my mum had a serious chat. I said that “I hate myself”, “I am dumb” and “I wish I was never born”. Then my mum went to that teacher and showed proof that I had A.D.H.D and dyslexia and he didn’t even believe THAT!

In the middle of the term I changed schools and It was amazing. Everyone was amazing. I thought it was the best school ever, until I came to Katikati College and went through Kiwi Can. Now when I finished primary school in another town, I moved to the Western Bay of Plenty and started at a Kiwi Can school. I had to do something different which was called Kiwi Can. I thought it was going to be boring. But when we started I was bouncing off the walls like ‘Willy Nilly’ and I loved it so much. It was for everyone.

I liked how the activities had guidelines that students could easily follow. I like how it included everyone and helped to build a team. These are some of the ways Kiwi Can is suitable for alternative learners and every Kiwi kid. Kiwi Can actually made me care more about people that previously bullied me. It helps me work with people I don’t really work well with and see things in a new way. I do dance and Kiwi Can helped me not be the shy one in my group and helped me be more confident! My confidence came from doing the Kiwi Can activities. Also I now know that I have real friends and what that actually means. Before Kiwi Can I thought I had friends but understand better now what true friends are and how to be a good friend back. Before Kiwi Can I didn’t have friends or a voice and now I do.

Now that’s my story and how Kiwi Can has helped me. It is an important programme to run in schools, I should know. I hope this programme never comes to an end and that more students in New Zealand can experience it. Thank you Kiwi Can, for your ideas and your inspiration. I’m keeping it in my brain because it’s changing the way I’m thinking and you’ve just helped me through a lot of things.

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