Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Ara Kick-off session #3 - Maui te Tairua: Mentoring programme for learners

 

Maui te tairua: mentoring programme with Hemi Hoskins (HOD for Humanities) and Humarie Chick.

Lynette Winter introduced the session and provided brief overview of the origin of the programme.

Hemi then introduced the background for the programme. Humarie provided details of the programme, targeting Maori who were struggling (data from Ara students’ analytics) in various programmes of study. 92 students of which 74 were profiled. A range of challenges appeared including individual family/whanau dynamics, financial issues, mental health challenges, the ‘withdrawal’ from course process and overall Ara processes for enrolment, application for funding, delivery methods and information on support services.

Hemi then presented on the overall concept of the mentoring programme There was a need for Maori to have a role model. Therefore, drawing on Maori culture identifies the stories around Maui as one way to bring connection between learners and their culture. Shared TedEd video by MatthewWinkler on ‘what makes a hero’. The ‘hero’ is prevalent across all cultures in their stories.

Used the narrative from the ‘what makes a hero’ concept (John Campbell) and contextualised it to Maori learners’ challenges. The cycle of - call to adventure, meeting the mentor, entering the unknown, trials and failures, the rebirth, revelation, redemption and the return. Used these to help learners understand the cycle of life and how they may navigate their own journey. Connected this to the Maori well-being model – te whare tapa wha – spiritual, physical, mental and community well-being.

Shared the programme, based on the hero cycle, of activities to engage learners and support them through their studies at Ara. 7 sessions including guest speakers and workshop to help students work through the various challenges. The final session confers tuakana (mentor) status on students participating, so they then become the supporters of the next cohort.

An inspiring initiative. The programme has just started in July and will be reviewed/evaluated in December.

Q & A followed.

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