Offering year 13 students the opportunity to spend four days of their holidays attending a study might not be the most appealing prospect for a final year teen, but when you come from Christchurch the offer takes on a completely different meaning.
This week 94 Canterbury teens took up the offer from RadioLIVE and Rangitoto College to have a one-on-one study experience with more than 130 teachers who volunteered their holiday time to provide expert tuition for the students...
With a generous cash subsidy from the Bank of New Zealand to subsidise the student's airfares and offers from Rangitoto College families to billet the students, costs were able to be kept to a minimum.
The partnership between a media company and an education institution may well be a first but it was felt the study camp was a practical solution to a problem being faced by many of the city's senior high school students after missing up to six weeks of school following February's devastating earthquake.
Andrew Patterson, RadioLIVE Business Editor, who spearheaded the initiative, says the week was all about offering the students practical support to help them catch up with their studies.
"It was such a fantastic result seeing these students taking full advantage of the opportunity and teens, not known for showing their gratitude, were really heartfelt in their thanks for the chance to get their studies back on track.
“They certainly went home a lot more motivated than when they arrived."
3 News / RadioLIVE