Youth Winter Sports Program Opens Doors in NZ

Comment Share Posted on Thursday July 30th at 9:26 a.m. Tweet

A successful youth charity that began in the United States in Vail, Colorado is poised to kick off programmes in New Zealand.

SOS Outreach Executive Director Arn Menconi confirmed the organisation will begin its first year of programmes outside North America at Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka.

"We were very fortunate to have an ideal opportunity presented to us by Snow Sports New Zealand's Ross Palmer and David Clegg of the Wellington Boys' & Girls' Institute," Menconi said. "They bring decades of experience, connections, and above all, the enthusiasm it takes to make this possible."

SOS Outreach was founded in the United States in 1993. SOS Outreach engages underserved youth in winter and outdoor sports-based education programmes. SOS revolves around a core value curriculum that stresses Courage, Discipline, Integrity, Wisdom and Compassion.

Adult mentor relationships are central to the programs and have resulted in SOS youth participants building strong morals, self-esteem and interpersonal skills.

During the 2008-2009 season in the U.S., SOS served 5,000 youth at 32 mountain resorts nationally. SOS provided over 25,000 programme days for underserved youth. 760 adults volunteered over 31,000 hours of service.

SOS New Zealand has partnered with Cardrona Alpine Resort, near Wanaka to launch the programme in New Zealand, and is also in discussions with the operators of Turoa on Mt. Ruapehu on the North Island to introduce SOS in New Zealand during the 2009 Southern Hemisphere winter.

"The goal of the programme is to build character in at-risk and underserved youth to enhance decision-making for healthy and successful life experiences," said Palmer, who has roots in Vail, serving as public relations director at Vail Resorts from 1993 to 1995. He's now CEO of Snow Sports New Zealand, the nation's governing body for winter sports. "We're fortunate to have Cardrona Alpine Resort as a partner. They've been fantastic in stepping up to generously support what we're trying to accomplish."

Clegg said the programme helps fill a void for some of New Zealand's youth, many of whom grow up surrounded by alcohol and eager to imitate images of U.S. culture they see on television.

"New Zealand youth are not immune from the pressures of today's world," added Clegg. Whether they're kids from a single parent family, a family that has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, or early teenagers who emulate US gang culture, there are plenty of challenges out there that SOS can help address in a long-term, meaningful way."

Palmer added that a side benefit of the programme is that dozens of young new Zealanders and their families will be introduced to snow sports for the first time, an opportunity most of them would never have.

Palmer and Clegg have recruited additional volunteers in Otago to help launch SOS on the South Island. Eric Schusser, head of the Outdoor Education Department at Dunstan High School who has more than 30 years' experience working with youth, has teamed with Roger Williams, youth worker for the Alexandra Combined Churches Youth Trust, to help identify groups and individuals best suited for the SOS programme.

Snow Sports New Zealand Coaching Director Adam Dooney also joins the SOS New Zealand team in the South Island. All of the five core volunteers have committed to serving as mentors for youth who participate in SOS.

SOS's core values -- Courage, Discipline, Integrity, Wisdom and Compassion - serve as the foundation for its adventure-based program that directly and positively impacts self-improvement by:

• Supporting underserved youth through positive adult interaction;
• Creating appropriate behavioral and environmental boundaries for youth;
• Providing opportunities for youth to improve and build social competencies;
• Encouraging positive values;
• Expanding current programming to provide follow-up opportunities for kids;
• Continuing to develop new partnerships with schools, youth agencies, winter sports corporations and government agencies.

SOS New Zealand was formed after Palmer approached Clegg, who, in addition to his two decades of experience at BGI, also worked with one of the original Outward Bound programmes in Wales. Clegg has also taken groups of youth skiing and snowboarding in previous years, laying the groundwork for SOS in New Zealand.

"I'm very much looking forward to this because we have some fantastic mountains that our underserved youth in particular need to access," said Clegg. "It's a natural high they need to experience. What's important is that we don't lose sight of what makes SOS work, and that we take the essential building blocks and integrate them to fit a completely different culture.

"In some cases, the programme will be residential, so that means we'll have kids 24 hours a day for a few days at a time, and that offers us the chance to add a lot of value to the programme," Clegg added. "A lot of youth now lack that consistent role model. Young people need role models not just for a day or two, but for years."

Volunteer training for SOS on the South Island was conducted over the weekend of 25-26 July at Cardrona. For more information about SOS New Zealand, visit http://www.sosoutreach.org/group/sosnz

For more information, contact:

Ross Palmer, Snow Sports New Zealand
021-810-432

David Clegg, Wellington Boys' & Girls' Institute
0272-403-820