MEDIA RELEASE - Vodafone Foundation is calling for applications from youth health and development practitioners to secure a 2016 leadership development grant of $90,000 from the Vodafone World of Difference (WoD) Fellowship.

The grant is designed to give experienced youth health and development practitioners the ability to invest a year into their professional or personal development and apply their skills and knowledge for the betterment of the youth sector in New Zealand.

Vodafone Foundation Chair Antony Welton says, “We’re searching for applicants with a passion and a fundamental desire to help young people - who want to lead change for their communities.”

Previous recipients of the Fellowship have gone on to make significant differences to young people’s lives including Bernie Hetaraka, who was awarded the Fellowship in 2013.

A nurse for over 30 years, Bernie used her Fellowship to fund a sabbatical to research models of youth governance and youth-friendly services from across the globe that could be replicated and implemented here in New Zealand. The knowledge Bernie acquired has been integral to the success of Whangarei Youth Space, which opened for business in 2014. Its board is made up of a 50/50 split of young people and adults.

“My research allowed me to gain valuable insights on best practice to engage and enable young people to take ownership of youth programmes and develop them in collaboration with adults, rather than adults implementing programmes they think young people want,” says Bernie.

Developed in 2010 in partnership with SYHPANZ, the Vodafone NZ Foundation WoD Fellowship has now supported five World of Difference Fellows looking into rural youth health needs, youth justice, youth governance, youth mentoring and alternative education tutoring.