COMMUNITY

The Young Hearts Project: Angelee’s Story

We’re proud to sponsor Youthline through our charity initiative the Young Hearts Project. To date we’ve raised nearly $800,000 by donating $5 from every full priced pair of Deuce sneakers we sell. We’re proud to share a story that highlights the way Youthline supports and empowers young New Zealanders through education, participation and fostering supportive connections.

Every journey is different

For Angelee and many others, joining Youthline’s Alternative Education School was a turning point. Not all students learn the same way, and it can be detrimental when the right to learn is withdrawn by the education system, compromising their development and even threatening their future! A gifted English student who loves to read, fifteen year old Angelee joined Youthline’s Alternative Education School in 2015 and developed relationship skills and self-esteem through physical education programmes, music and art courses, and development programmes. Positive engagement and fostering connections are a key part of development for young people, as is identifying and setting goals. For Angelee, her dream is to one day working in publishing.

Growing and achieving

Angelee’s going from strength to strength; one of her first major accomplishments as a student at Youthline’s Alternative Education School was being supported by Youthline to complete the Dominoǯs Pizza ‘Connect the Dots’ hospitality training. Her success in this programme shows that engagement and meaningful participation can be fostered in many different environments. In fact, the training and corporate team at Dominoǯs were so impressed with her that she was hired immediately and has been working part-time ever since. When Angelee realised her own neighbourhood didn’t have a Domino’s franchise, she harnessed her courageous and driven attitude and contacted the General Manager of Domino’s Pizza New Zealand to outline her idea for a new franchise.

Becoming an inspiration

Not only is Angelee consistently attending classes, working part-time and dreaming big, she is also the Student Representative for Youthline’s Alternative Education School at the region-wide Alternative Education consortium and received the Student of the Year award for 2016 – a massive accomplishment. The leadership and bravery required to articulate her opinions and ideas comes naturally to Angelee, and she is now applying those skills in a leadership forum, representing her peers, inspiring others and creating change.