Alternative education model in Porirua grounded in trust and youth work

The Praxis Education Kenepuru programme in Porirua is helping ākonga reconnect with education through trauma-informed, developmentally aware practice grounded in youth work and teaching pedagogy.

Tama Bucknell is a trained teacher and youth worker who has spent well over two decades working in youth development and education spaces across the motu. He says these spaces seldom receive the attention they deserve.

“Alternative education has always been in the worst buildings tucked in the corner of communities,” says Tama, who dedicates himself to helping vulnerable ākonga reconnect with a world that too often pushes them away.

The Praxis Education Kenepuru (PEK) programme in Porirua embodies that dedication. PEK prioritises ākonga’s developmental needs as the essential basis for any kind of future learning.

PEK’s approach is grounded in peer-reviewed research, informed by Dr Judy Bruce and Dr Lloyd Martin in addition to international studies. He argues that, through compassionate, trauma-informed youth development practices, ākonga can thrive in school and build empowered, meaningful lives.

Dr Lloyd Martin founded PEK in 1983. The programme works with taiohi from partner schools across the Porirua basin. PEK combines youth work and teaching pedagogies to help vulnerable learners aged 13 to 16, most of whom have otherwise struggled in mainstream education.

Each ākonga receives a tailored plan that guides them through their learning. They’re encouraged to share stories and participate in confidence-building activities like whitewater rafting, construction, and creative writing.

Collaboration at the heart of success

Tama says PEK’s work starts with building the right team. Youth workers and teachers receive different training, and marrying the two complementary but distinct disciplines can be challenging.

“We’re trying to develop a collaborative approach,” says Tama. “I think that’s probably one of the biggest challenges.

“We first need to acknowledge all the different pedagogy in the room: the youth development lens; the teaching lens; and then our support workers,” he continues.

Teachers are primarily trained to focus on curriculum delivery, assessments, classroom management and subjectspecific knowledge. On the other hand, youth workers learn to support taiohi through informal, experiential learning that seldom takes place in a traditional classroom environment.

“The answer’s often in the middle of those different pedagogies. So it’s a give and take, but we’re learning together as we move,” says Tama. “It’s a real challenge because, if you’ve taught for a long time as a teacher, it’s a lot to shift.”

A typical PEK class involves one teacher and three to four youth workers, making collaboration key.

“We probably spent a year or two just developing that trust, learning to understand the different approaches, and actually get to a common result at the end,” says Tama.

Building mana through experience

That common result is student empowerment. PEK strives to achieve this through the Circle of Mana: a model of youth development that says taiohi successfully move from childhood to adulthood by developing a sense of belonging, competence, responsibility and generosity.

These qualities are affirmed through a range of activities, many of which take place outdoors.

“A lot of these kids were never at school long enough to go to camp or were never allowed to go to camp because they were in trouble,” explains Tama.

“We’re trying to do low level risk things that actually open their imagination and their experiences,” he continues, describing camps where students split firewood, pulled weeds, planted berries and flax, and even built a bridge.

“A lot of [taiohi] lost those role models that are showing them how a drill bit goes in, how to use a drill, how to drill a bit of wood, how to use a hedge cutter, or how to use a spade.”

“I am starting to get credits,” says one PEK ākonga, who enjoyed their latest camp. “[I] have been able to learn and use tools to make a planter box, I’ve gone to new places and met new people.

“This experience has opened my world view – it’s not as small as I thought, there are more opportunities out there.”

Learning through mentoring

Ultimately, Tama says the goal with these activities, however small, is to imbue taiohi with a sense of capability, confidence and achievement. He adds that listening to taiohi without judgement helps ground this growth in trust.

“It was hard,” says another PEK ākonga, referring to their school life before PEK. “I didn’t understand the learning. I felt dumb and felt like I didn’t fit in. This led to me wagging classes and not listening.

“PEK was open with me. They built trust and cared. This helped me build relationships with the team. When things go wrong they help me restore things.”

Classes at PEK are extremely varied. When recalling success stories from the programme’s most recent camp, Tama mentions a few taiohi who recorded their camp experiences through strong pieces of creative writing.

“It just shows the level of engagement we’ve had over the term,” says Tama. “It’s been a 10-week development, creating this piece of writing. They’ve just finished publishing.

“Everything we do is mentoring and then learning flows out of that,” he continues. “When you put these practices together and you’re actually listening to young people’s stories and meeting those developmental needs, then they feel safe: they’ve come out of that survival brain.

“They’re amazing kids with a lot of potential and really beautiful spirits. They’ve been broken and damaged and the last thing they need is another group of adults adding to that.

Looking forward, Tama is eager to apply this year’s data to his next cohort of students. He’s also keen to further evolve PEK’s curriculum by continuing to build student trust and safety, and at the same time focus on unit standards around literacy and numeracy.

“For us it’s about developing people,” says Tama. “So, while Level 1 is great and I think it gives [ākonga] a sense of something tangible on their record and helps them to step into courses, there’s an element of encouraging young people to know what it means to turn up.

“What we do involves building trust and feeling safe around adults who aren’t going to judge them. So that takes time.”

Recommendations for schools and AE providers

Schools don’t need to be dedicated alternative education providers like PEK to meet developmental needs among taiohi.

Dr Judy Bruce, a key researcher and evaluator for PEK, says implementing consistent, culturally responsive traumainformed practices is essential to improving outcomes for struggling ākonga. These practices can involve collaborative teams that are given the freedom to build an evidence-based practice that looks different from the everyday curriculum.

“Having the occasional PD day will introduce some concepts to teachers, but one-off workshops will not embed real change in practices,” says Judy. “Taking an evidence-based approach to change is where I would recommend schools start.”

Judy recommends schools research Russell Bishop’s GPILSEO model as one such evidence-based approach. This is a culturally responsive framework focused on schoolwide change. Though it was developed primarily for Māori ākonga, this model improves educational outcomes across a range of contexts, including at PEK.

Overall, Judy wants to see more providers adopt the kinds of alternative education practices deployed by PEK.

“Alternative education practitioners (teachers, tutors, support workers and youth workers) are often exceptional and have a lot to offer high school teachers and school leaders,” she says.

“Many are expert practitioners working with the most disenfranchised young people to see them thrive. My hope is that AE can evolve into a spotlight of best practice and support schools to develop a range of alternative pathways within high schools – and not just on the outside.”