The Adastra Foundation, which assists extraordinary young New Zealanders on the national and international stage by providing financial and mentoring support, held a function last night with local supporter TECT at the Adams Centre.
Guest Speaker Olympic Gold medallist rower Eric Murray spoke about goal setting, overcoming adversity, re-setting plans after disruption, and his top tips for being successful.
In attendance were many of the 19 local athletes, musicians and arts performers supported by The Adastra Foundation and TECT as part of the 2020 scholarship programme. Representatives from BOP Cricket, BOP Rugby, The Music Shed and local high schools were also in attendance.
Some of the local scholarship recipients include Olive Pearce (Surf Lifesaving), Fergus Lellman (Cricket), Loui Schuler (Water Polo), Ben Blackwell (Volleyball) and Sapphire Tapsell (Rugby). Adastra scholar Brianna Rackham also attended, performing a number of original songs for attendees.
The programme, which includes financial support and mentoring sessions, has been running in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions since 2007.
It aims to support exceptional young adults who are striving to achieve ambitious goals in sport, music and the performing arts. The mentoring sessions are a fundamental part of the programme, designed to reflect the unique needs of the recipients who are typically transitioning to the next level of their chosen discipline and a new level of independence.
Topics covered in the sessions include managing finances, communication and building relationships, sponsorship, growing confidence and resilience, building a social media profile, developing a broad world view, mental skills, and breathing for performance.
Scholarship recipient Lachlan Haycock says the support and mentoring has been vital towards helping reach his goals in triathlon.
“The financial support was a massive help. It is pretty hard to get the funding to travel, train and race. Having Adastra and TECT able to assist us is great – it allows us to do what we do.
“The workshop was also next level. We were able to learn so much about ourselves, how to network and how to conduct ourselves, which is a whole other side of sport which is mostly forgotten about. Those lessons have been invaluable.”
The Adastra Foundation has given out over $2,500,000 worth of support since it was established, with $25,000 supporting promising elite athletes and performers in Tauranga and the Western Bay this year. This has been made possible by funders such as TECT, Grassroots Trust, The Lion Foundation, Perry group and Affco.
Adastra Chairman Graeme Maw says the Foundation has supported hundreds of promising athletes and musicians over the years who have gone onto achieve great success.
“From athletes like Blair Tuke and Mahé Drysdale, to musician Annah Mac, we’re proud that our programme has been able to support so many young people and has had a small part to play in helping them reach their dreams. Our workshops are what truly set us apart – it is a foundation that helps them learn to be great and contribute to society.”
TECT Trustee Peter Blackwell says TECT is proud to support the programme which provides many opportunities for local athletes and performers.
“At TECT, we are all about supporting excellence in sporting and performing arts disciplines, and we’re proud to have supported this initiative in our region since 2017 with $50,000 in TECT funding.
“It is fantastic that we have this programme available to young people in our region. It is particularly valuable during that transition period where financial support, education and networking opportunities can go a long way to inspiring these young adults to develop the resilience required to continue chasing their dreams and pushing through to achieve more of their potential.”
Applications for 2021 scholarships open in August this year to athletes, musicians and arts performers in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region, between the ages of 16 and 23. Applications can be made online in August at https://adastra.org.nz/apply-now/.
