ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
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community support<br />
by wing Commander brett marshall,<br />
Commanding officer yDu, Burnham Military Camp<br />
YouTh DEVElopMENT<br />
– noT A RoLE FoR DEFEnCE?<br />
IT wAS AT A FUNcTIoN oNe THURSdAY NIGHT wHeN I FoUNd<br />
MYSelF beING “cHeST Poked” bY A YoUNG oFFIceR. He wAS<br />
ASkING Me wHY, wITH All MY <strong>AIR</strong>cRew TRAINING, I wAS<br />
woRkING AT THe NZdF YoUTH deVeloPMeNT UNIT (YdU).<br />
“SIR, YoU’Ve GoT All THIS eXPeRIeNce ANd THe <strong>AIR</strong> FoRce HAS<br />
INVeSTed A loT oF TIMe ANd MoNeY GIVING IT To YoU, bUT<br />
YoU’Re NoT USING IT”.<br />
I<br />
was surprised at his view and replied<br />
that I was a military officer first and<br />
it was my generic military skills that<br />
were being used, just like any other<br />
member of NZdF who finds themselves<br />
in a role out of their core trade. I realised<br />
he seemed to have more of an issue<br />
with NZdF being involved in Youth<br />
development …<br />
“why Sir, when the NZdF has<br />
significant financial and personnel issues<br />
are we spending money on, and posting<br />
people to, YdU?”<br />
I explained that the lSV company had<br />
been tripled in size by the government<br />
three years ago, and YdU formed, due to<br />
the success of the programme. And the<br />
reason it is a success is because of the<br />
skill set that only military people bring.<br />
Getting individuals to work together<br />
and reach their potential inside a very<br />
structured environment is what the<br />
34 <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> news<br />
military does so well and why we, and not<br />
a civilian organisation, are doing it.<br />
“but surely civilians could do it?” he<br />
said.<br />
I reiterated that it was our military<br />
skill set, and the environment we create,<br />
that make the difference for the type of<br />
young people we run courses for. I tried<br />
changing tack and asked him why we<br />
were in Afghanistan, east Timor and the<br />
Solomons?<br />
“because the government wants us to<br />
be,” he said.<br />
“Same reason we are involved in youth<br />
development,” I replied. I then went on<br />
to say that in Afghanistan, east Timor<br />
and the Solomons, as well as the many<br />
other places we are posted to around<br />
the world, we apply our military skills to<br />
make a better future for the people that<br />
live there. The difference with YdU is<br />
that we, the NZdF, are using our military<br />
skills to make a better future for our own<br />
young people.<br />
The young officer came back with:<br />
“but what about all the money we are<br />
taking from the front line to fund YdU?”<br />
I then made him aware that 80% of<br />
the funding for YdU (including wages)<br />
comes from the Ministry of Social<br />
development and the Ministry of<br />
education, something he was unaware<br />
of.<br />
There was much more I wanted to<br />
tell him about YdU—it’s making an<br />
awesome difference to the lives of<br />
thousands of young <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong>ers.<br />
Young people who have not had the<br />
choices in life that many of us have had<br />
(and we often take for granted). In fact,<br />
for many, circumstances outside their<br />
control have forced them down difficult<br />
and painful pathways.<br />
I can tell some amazing stories of lives<br />
turned around, whether it be through<br />
the lSV programme, or via YdU’s<br />
Youth life Skills teams—which provide<br />
support to the 27 Service Academies in<br />
High Schools throughout the country,<br />
run courses for Police blue light for<br />
youth at risk, and support child Youth<br />
and Family in running the Military style