Second mobile classroom purchased by local education charity

Life Education Trust Heartland Otago Southland is pleased to announce the purchase of a second mobile classroom, which will enable the organisation to expand its reach and provide vital health and wellbeing education to more children in the region.

The classroom will be brought down from the Western Bay of Plenty, will undergo some refurbishment work, and then recruitment for a second educator to deliver the programme to schools in the Queenstown-Lakes/Central Otago area, will begin. This new part time role will help us to meet the growing demand for our services and ensure that we can continue to provide high-quality education to children in the region.

Current educator, Pip, has been with the trust for 16 years, and her passion for education and dedication to the children in our region is unparalleled. We are excited for her to share her knowledge and skills, and to work alongside our new educator during the training process.

The new mobile classroom, which is fully equipped with the latest educational technology and resources, will complement the Trust's existing mobile classroom and will enable the organisation to reach an additional 5000 students per year. The Trust is committed to ensuring that all children in the region have regular access to the information and skills they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Life Education Trust Heartland Otago Southland Chair, Tracey van Herel, said that the new mobile classroom and additional educator would help the Trust to achieve its mission of empowering children to make positive choices for their health and well-being.

"We are thrilled to be able to expand our reach and provide more children in our region with the tools and knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. This will enable us to deliver our programs to more schools, more frequently, and will allow for more flexibility for both ourselves and our schools” said Ms. Van Herel.

The Trust's highly trained educators visit schools in the region with the mobile classroom and Harold the Giraffe (mascot), and deliver a range of individualised lessons on topics such as how brilliant the human body is, about healthy eating and lives, relationships and communities, and about resilience and their identities. The lessons are designed to be age-appropriate and are delivered in a way that is fun, interactive, and engaging for children.

Life Education does not receive government funding and therefore relies on the generosity of the community to assist with funding the total Life Education operation in the region. The purchase of the new mobile classroom was made possible thanks to the generous support of Central Lakes Trust, who share the organisation's commitment to improving the health and well-being of children in the region.

The Trust are grateful for their continued support and looks forward to making a positive difference in the lives of even more children in our region. The new classroom is expected to be ready to start teaching term four of this year.

Main image: Life Education Trust educator Pip Tisdall delivers educational programmes to school students in the Queenstown-Lakes/Central Otago area.