Ola Fou Pasifika Certificate in Youth Development

For people who are passionate about working for hope and a positive future for young people in their community...

Iopu 14:7-9: Aua a ta le la’au, e fa’amoemoe i ai e toe tupu, e le aunoa foi ma ona tatupu. E ui lava ina ua leva ona a’a i le eleele, ma ua mate lona tafue i le eleele, a’e toe tupu ae i le susu o le vai, ma tutupu ona la e pei o le la’au tupu.

2006/07 class graduation

Ola Fou has been developed as a partnership between a group of NZ and Pacific based organisations, the project aims to provide training and support for youth workers who work in their own communities across the Pacific. 

We have set the following goals for this project:

• Promote indigenous approaches to youth development in the Pacific
• Raise the credibility and worth of youth work and youth workers in the Pacific.
• Assist church and community organisations to recruit and up skill youth workers.
• Deliver a recognised qualification for Pacific based youth workers.
• Promote strengths based, participatory and interactive approaches to working with young people.

After an initial small scale pilot, the Ola Fou project began in June 2006, and was completed in October 2007 at a ceremony in Suva with 21 students and 100 guests from Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the Solomon Islands. The students have completed the Certificate in Pasifika Youth Development, which is equivalent to the (NZQA approved) Praxis Certificate in Youth Work (level 4).

UPDATE

NZAID has recently completed an independent evaluation of the Ola Fou project. An executive summary is attached here: Project Evaluation Report 

Please contact Lloyd@praxis.org.nz if you would like the full version of the report.

We plan to apply to NZAID and other groups for resourcing to continue with the project. Our dream is to see the introduction of a two year course from 2009 that will enable youth workers from across the Pacific to study to Diploma level. Please email Sereki Korokowiri on yfc@connect.com.fj if you have questions or would like to be kept updated about this project.