Gifted Kids celebrates Gifted Awareness Week

MEDIA RELEASE

14 June 2013

Gifted Kids celebrates Gifted Awareness Week

Gifted Kids CEO Deb Clark welcomes the opportunity to celebrate gifted children in New Zealand next week.

Gifted Awareness Week occurs annually in June with organisations nationwide participating to draw attention to gifted people, the nature of giftedness and gifted education in New Zealand.

“Gifted Awareness Week is an opportunity to highlight the importance and value of gifted education in New Zealand. It is also a chance to show the impact programmes such as ours have in the lives of our students” Ms Clark says.

“Next week we have a number of activities happening around the country allow our students to celebrate their unique talents and extraordinary minds and share them with their communities. Sharing is an important aspect of their learning journey.” Ms Clark continues

Gifted Kids offers nationwide gifted education services predominately in low socioeconomic areas where gifted education may not otherwise be accessible. A 2008 Education Review Office report said 58 per cent of schools provided adequate support for gifted and talented students.

“We strongly believe education should not be the preserve of the wealthy. Education priorities of the government for a long time have not included gifted and talented education; funding cuts over several years have severely impacted on schools ability to provide the right support for gifted and talented students.”

Gifted Kids has not received any government funding since 2010 and relies heavily on contestable grant pools, plus school and family contributions to provide its services.

“Our funding structure isn’t sustainable long-term but we do what we can to keep the programme going because we know it works. We have too many past pupils students who say to us they are not sure where they would have ended up had it not been for Gifted Kids and the opportunity to spend time with like minds, developing their talents.”

“One great part of our programme is we are a community of learners. We work alongside the students first and foremost, teachers, parents, schools and the wider community to enhance and provide challenge to our students’ learning.

“Talent matters and for us at Gifted Kids, Gifted Awareness Week for us is a great time to celebrate what New Zealand has – and that is: a wealth of knowledge, expertise and a community of learners all working toward getting the best educational outcomes for gifted students right across the country. What we hope for is others to catch the vision too and walk with us on each extraordinary journey”

For more information about Gifted Kids and the events taking place during Gifted Awareness Week please visit

http://www.giftedkids.co.nz/Gifted+Awareness+Week+2013

Gifted Kids was founded in 2000 to meet the educational and social needs of gifted children in New Zealand. Gifted Kids delivers services in Northern Wairoa, Auckland, Rotorua, Masterton, Hutt Valley, Wellington, Dunedin, and Invercargill.

For more information about Gifted Kids please visit our website www.giftedkids.co.nz.

ENDS

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