September 06, 2022
Ram raid craze highlights truancy danger
The chief operating officer for Police-aligned youth development organisation Blue Light says virtually all ram raiders are either truants or have been in the past.
Brendon Crompton says one of Blue Light’s current contracts is getting 3000 kids in Countries Manukau back to class.
He says a recent hui on ram raids in the region highlighted where the perpetrators were coming from, and the long term consequences.
“You could almost say 100 percent were disengaged from education at a certain point, they were either non-enrolled or already chronic truants, Of you look at international research, you’re more likely to be long term unemployed, you’re more likely to have drug or alcohol addiction, you’re more likely to have a mental health issue, you’re more likely to be a young parent, all those things are associated with non-engagement at schools, so from a whole of society perspective, getting kids in school and keeping them engaged at school is super-important,” Mr Crompton says.
Half the kids missing school in Counties Manukau are Maori and 35 percent are Pacifika.
He says there is a multitude of reasons why kids aren’t going to school including family disfunction, drug and alcohol problems, bullying, and precarious living conditions.
Blue Light is looking for more funding so it can keep up with demand for its programmes.