The School Visits Programme has the aim of getting as many Voyagers into as many schools around the country as possible to promote 10 Day Youth Development Voyages on the Spirit of New Zealand directly to students in school assemblies. The Trust has asked the Voyagers’ Club to take on this programme, and it is picking up speed around the country. It is hoped that the project will increase the demand for Spirit berths and ensure that all of the berths onboard the Spirit are full all year round.

Each presentation in assembly is normally for approximately 10 minutes. The general format is a brief introduction followed by a 4min DVD visually highlighting the fun-filled nature of a Spirit voyage. The speaker builds on the DVD giving more details about what happens on board, and briefly explains the procedure for applying for a voyage. All students are invited to remain behind for a question and answer session with the speaker where application forms are also handed out.

The programme is managed nationally by the National School Visits Coordinator Andrew Watson. It is Andrew’s job to prepare the information for the speakers to give, act as a liaison between the Trust and the Voyagers Club, as well as fix any problems that arise! He is ably assisted by the North Island Coordinator Sam Gordon, and between the two of them it is their job to find a Regional School Visits Liaison (RSVL) for each region around the country. The job of the RSVL is to arrange for Voyagers in that region to visit schools and give presentations in assembly. Each RSVL is supported by a pool of Voyager speakers who are able and willing to speak in school assemblies.

The School Visits Programme is a great opportunity for Voyagers from all around the country to become involved in, either as speakers, RSVLs or at a National level. Not only does it build public speaking confidence, organisation and teamwork skills, but we are providing much appreciated support to the Trust through the promotion of the 10 Day Youth Development Voyages.

If you would like to help with any of these positions, please contact Andrew: schools@voyagers.org.nz.