Certificates of Recognition 2021
Certificates of Recognition were awarded to:
Liam McLeavey – Community Affairs. Liam has dedicated his entire young adult life to unleashing the potential and improving outcomes for others, particularly young people. He has supported businesses to grow, and strives to make Horowhenua a better place.
Liam has the unique ability to see possibilities and vision for a brighter future for Horowhenua. He takes promising ideas and delivers them into meaningful actions. Liam has generated an impact for the district and has led at a local, regional and national level.
He contributed to many forums, such as the Horowhenua Youth Council, the National Youth Advisory Group within the Ministry of Social Development. Liam contributed to the Provincial Growth Fund bid for $50,000 of funding from government to commission a feasibility study on the Horowhenua labour market. This led to government investment of $800,000 for Get-Go, the largest labour market development programme ever seen in the Horowhenua.
Liam was a delegate for the New Zealand government for the Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh. Between 2019 and 2021, he served as a member of the Social Enterprise Sector Working Group, part of the Social Enterprise Development Programme within the Department of Internal Affairs, which delivered its report to the government mid-year.
In 2018, Liam became a board member of the Youth One Stop Shop, passionate about youth health. This primary health organisation delivers health and social services to 10,000 young people in Horowhenua and Palmerston North. He was promoted to the role of chair of the organisation in 2021.
In late 2019, Liam was announced as a 2020 Global Teen Leader alongside a select group of 32 young leaders from 18 different countries. With such an impressive array of skills and achievements, we look forward to seeing what the future will bring for this enterprising and energetic young man.
David Brewerton – Education Services. David is acknowledged for establishing and maintaining the Queer Straight Alliance at Horowhenua College.
David established the alliance in 2019 to provide social support and education for rainbow students and their friends, as rainbow students tend to face higher levels of bullying and exclusion from school than other students. Research has shown that if rainbow students feel supported and included at school, they will succeed academically. Since establishing the alliance, teachers have noted that students involved are more engaged in their learning than during their earlier years at the college.
The group meets weekly, with David maintaining this through two COVID-19 lockdowns using Zoom and social media. The lunch-hour gatherings consist of eating lunch together, engaging in games and general discussion, camaraderie and encouragement to be resilient, to face challenges and most importantly, to be themselves.
Setting up the group has shown that colleges and staff are often wary of allowing or advertising such groups because of the perceived risk of possible community pushback. David has navigated these tensions exceptionally well. He is a technology teacher at Horowhenua College and leads other social enterprises, such as the Refresh Trust – a recycling and employment charitable venture. David cares for these vulnerable young people. His efforts will assist in equipping the students as they complete their education and go out into the wider world.