The first week of the school holidays saw Bluff become a centre of activity for Southland tweens and teens, as they descended on the small town to participate in a range of fun pursuits, all part of Rangatahi Zone Bluff.
The event is in its second year and pulls together dozens of organisations and businesses to put on three days of youth-centred activities which have a strong emphasis on participation, learning and fun. On September 26th – 28th, rangatahi | young people aged between 10 and 18 came from all over Southland on free transport – buses travelled from Invercargill, Gore, Winton and Mataura – to join in the wide ranging activities, from free haircuts and manicures, to learning DJ mixing and computer coding, which took place in eight different locations around Bluff.
SIT | Te Pūkenga participated for the first time, contributing sessions with some of its high-tech gear from their Centre for Creative Industries. Screen Arts Tutor, James Wilkinson, who attended, said he had an “awesome” three days, giving dozens of rangatahi a taste of the technology.
“We took a third-year cinema package which includes lighting, camera and monitors, as well as computers with a Cintiq drawing screen and pen, which allows the user to draw straight into the software. This is used for students to create their artwork digitally.”
Both options were really popular he said; there was a constant flow of rangatahi, with some enjoying it so much, they returned each day to use the gear again. The participants were taught by Mr Wilkinson how to handle the camera operation, and groups of two took turns at being a camera operator and assistant camera operator. “Once I had shown them how to use it safely, I gave them full reign over the camera, so they could practice pulling focus and operating the camera,” he said. There was about 70k worth of high-end equipment, which is not usually accessible to this age group.
Mr Wilkinson was pleased to see the artistic talent of youth on display for those who tried out drawing on the Cintiq screens. “There are many talented young artists in our community. This creates a connection for them, where they can see how they could make a future career out of their talents and abilities.”
As a parent himself, Mr Wilkinson felt the event was of high value because it targeted an age range which doesn’t have many organised holiday activities to choose from. “There’s not a lot on in the holidays in our community for that particular age group.”
Rangatahi Zone Bluff organiser, Sumaria Beaton, said she was extremely pleased with how the event ran. “It was very successful. There were 500 to 800 attending each day.” She believes the event will continue to grow and attract more participants, as it was meeting a need in the community. “We really enjoyed having SIT involved and would be keen for more SIT activities to be included,” Ms Beaton said.