Students get the edge

• Published date: 11 August 2022
• Publication title: Katikati Advertiser

Selected students from Tauranga Primary, Golden Sands School and Katikati College will be offered regular Edge Workshops run by Boys Brigade in New Zealand (BBNZ) from term three onwards. The practical, hands-on woodworking sessions run one day a week or fortnight and are producing remarkable results in the classroom — astonishing both teachers and organisers

“It’s generally boys who are not enjoying or doing very well in class,” says BBNZ national director Mike Brewer. “By taking them out of that formal environment and working in small groups on woodworking projects, they develop a real sense of achievement and self-worth that then follows them back into the classroom.

“There was one Tauranga boy who wouldn’t even engage with his teacher or class. But he now wants to learn. The turnaround is that dramatic. Once you fire boys up with a bit of confidence, they’re away. Some boys are so staunch when they first come to Edge Workshops. They’ve not done well in school and develop a hard shell...