When Rose’s family got in touch with us, Rose had been out of mainstream school for 4 years. She had very limited social contact outside her family and her day’s had minimal structure. Having missed so much school and having very little practice completing tasks, Rose lacked confidence and skills in working independently and following through on ideas.

Rose’s mood and behaviour was highly variable. She really wanted to be with peers but also found it highly nerve-wracking and struggled to connect with others in the way she wanted.

Rose was passionate about all things creative from costume design, making audiobooks, film making, knitting, pottery, poetry, playing the drums, and model-making. She often started projects but didn’t finish them.

When Rose first started in the programme, the main focus was around building trust with the team, getting used to taking public transport independently, and increasing the length of time she could spend away from home. This meant that for some time her focus was on completing tasks that could be done in one sitting to experience success.

After six weeks, Rose started getting herself ready in the morning and was able to manage full days of the programme without struggle and we had worked out how to balance challenge and rest over the course of a week so that she could come for a full week.

Through watching others in the programme complete extended projects with support from the team, Rose had the idea to create a music video which would combine her interests in costume design, drumming, and film making. The team supported her to complete a storyboard, learn camera techniques from a professional, and clarify their personal creative aesthetic. Rose also got helped to run an audition for actors. This was used as part of the application to work at Armaggedon expo and Rose also became close friends with one of the actors in the film.

Interestingly, over the course of the programme, Rose discovered that she was very interested in science. With better understanding how she worked and learned best, and increased capacity to participate in the world, she decided to enrol in academic studies to get NCEA after graduating from the programme to pursue a career in science.

Our flexi option provides access for teens where cost or other circumstances might otherwise be a barrier.

Teens can take a concession approach (a minimum of 20 days with flexibility to scale up or down the number of visits per week), tailored to specific needs. Sessions can also be reoriented into part-time or full-time at any point before the 20 days are used.

Best suited to:

Teens and families travelling from other towns or cities in New Zealand to join us in Auckland.

Families or teens who are hesitant and want the opportunity to try things out first (by negotiation).

Teens in one of our dedicated group sessions (gaming, making, study).

One-on-one coaching with our Founder, Holly Gooch, is available by special arrangement. Sessions are usually one hour per week.

Coaching sessions are focused on a very clear goal. That goal might be to prepare for upcoming exams, get ready for the upcoming start of a new job or tertiary study programme, or complete the practical and administrative steps needed to begin professional freelancing work.

Because coaching does not include full wrap-around support, it is essential that young people in coaching are highly motivated and that their families have the capacity to support them between sessions.

Best suited to:

Teens who already have a clear pathway and want support to set themselves up for success.

Teens who live outside commuting distance of our Auckland site and are clearly twice-exceptional.

Teens slightly younger or older than our usual age range of 16-19 years who are clearly twice-exceptional.