Source: New Zealand Government
As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to working with the victims and those affected by the March 15 terror attacks, today Associate Minister of Education Hon Jan Tinetti released the report ‘Voices from the Ōtautahi’ on the Christchurch Learning Community Hubs.
“It’s so important we continue to support the victims and those affected by the March 15 terror attacks and help parents and families to partner with schools – Learning Community Hubs have given them the confidence and knowledge to do so,” Jan Tinetti said.
The Learning Community Hubs help to connect schools and learning opportunities with member of Christchurch’s ethnic community. They were established in Terms 3 and 4 of 2020 in response to requests from ethnic communities after the March 15 2019 terror attack.
“Parents and children were overwhelmingly positive about how the hubs have helped families understand the education system here in New Zealand.
“Parents say their involvement has improved their relationships with teachers, encouraged them to read more with their children, and enabled them to understand how homework works in this country.”
Support looked like delivering Reading Together to support children improve their literacy skills; academic mentoring for students and information around internet safety; parent education workshops to provide an overview of the New Zealand education system, and help to understand career pathways for their children.
From an initial 10-week pilot programme, there are now seven Learning Community Hubs in Christchurch, which supported 158 families across 18 ethnicities, including 270 early childhood and school aged children across Christchurch. The model will be rolled out in Auckland and Wellington later this year.
“The Learning Hub Co-ordinators play a vital role for the community they are supporting, and as passionate leaders they are working to make Canterbury a better place to live for ethnic communities, and I want to thank them for their efforts” Jan Tinetti said.
