Youth development leader in finals

BUSINESS PERSON FINALIST: Amanda Wheeler, right, with colleague Jane Edwards, centre, and students.

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A Muriwai resident has been honoured for changing teen lives.

Amanda Wheeler has managed the Foundation for Youth Development's Waitakere arm for several years and says she never fails to be amazed by what young people can achieve given the right tools.

The 35-year-old programme director works with more than 420 west Auckland teens each year.

Her dedication has been recognised in the 2010 Westpac Waitakere Business Awards, with Amanda named a finalist for the Ritchies Transport Young Business Person of the Year Award for her work with FYD Waitakere. The trust is also a finalist for the Unitec Community and Volunteer Sector Best Practice Award.

The awards will be announced on October 8.

"Kids and teenagers are awesome, but they can get a hard time and are under a lot of pressure to be successful," Amanda says. "Most grab the life skills and values we teach with both hands, usually make huge positive changes in their lives. I love seeing very shy kids without many friends turn into public speakers with pals galore." From a corporate background, FYD Waitakere is Amanda's first foray into the non-profit sector and, after six years, there is no looking back.

"I changed industries as I wanted to feel more satisfied through my working life by giving something back. FYD was a massive drawcard because of the effectiveness of their programmes."

FYD Waitakere runs two school-based programmes – Stars, which helps year 9s make the leap into high school safely, and Project K, an intensive 14-month programme for year 10 students identified with low self-confidence or with other factors holding their development back.

"Both programmes start with an adventure in the wilderness and this is entirely new for many of the kids. It really ensures they get out of their comfort zone, bond as a team and experience the sense of achievement that comes from setting goals and achieving them," Amanda says.

FYD was founded in 1995 by mountaineer Graeme Dingle and lawyer Jo-anne Wilkinson in response to New Zealand's negative youth statistics. Visit www.fyd.org.nz for more information.

- © Fairfax NZ News