Article contributed by Chris Theobald, Principal Holy Family School
Written by Kirsten Warner, Source: The Spinoff
In low income areas of New Zealand, where there is very low voter turnout, children and highly engaged principals are making a big difference. Kirsten Warner shares the Bring An Adult to Vote initiative.
At Holy Family School in Porirua, the $40 cost of the school three-photo pack was beyond the reach of many families. So principal Chris Theobald and staff last week took the photos themselves. Day one was class and individual photos, day two families, families as big as 13 – Theobald says he drew the line at bringing the family dog.
Chris and the staff managed to turn the photos around, paying two staff to process them over the weekend, at $6 for a three-pack. Families in the decile one school – 76% Pasifika, 18% Maori, 6% Burmese – don’t have a lot of money. “We are responding to a need, like we are with voting,” says Theobald. “More of our families need to vote.”
He’s referring to a new programme called Bring An Adult To Vote, which Holy Family has enthusiastically taken on board. It’s an idea which seems so self-evident – that the earlier children get involved with voting the more likely they are to grow up to be a voter. And that getting children involved in voting also brings in their families.
To read Kirsten's full article as published in The Spinoff, click this link: https://thespinoff.co.nz/parenting/21-09-2017/bring-an-adult-to-vote-how-kids-are-helping-turn-around-low-voter-turnout/
To find out more about Chris Theobald and Holy Family School click here: www.holyfamily.school.nz
Video Source: NZEI Te Riu Roa: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRprYG8ZfKhjMfBQCMstr2g