Kairos is a little start-up making big changes in the education sector, bridging the disconnect between low decile high schools and tertiary education.
Charlotte Print and Nandini Singh developed the programme to empower, educate and enable students to reach their academic dreams, and break the cycle of lower education rates across low decile families that has pervasive social, economic, and cultural impacts.
“Only six percent of university students come from low decile schools across New Zealand which contributes to a vicious, generational cycle and a lack of information about universities within low decile communities.”
Kairos is a multi-step educational outreach programme aimed to educate, encourage, and empower the youth of today.
“We do this by providing students with workshops and a one-on-one mentorship programme to help promote tertiary education within these suburbs. Our team of university student volunteers will visit our low decile partner schools in person for four workshop sessions throughout the school year, starting conversations about the volunteer’s first-hand experiences with university life, finances and courses. Each student in the programme will receive a volunteer mentor, who will connect with each other virtually every month.”
Kairos believes that human connection can change the educational climate in low decile communities.
“Through Kairos, high schoolers can feel confident about taking the next step in their educational journey and gain many skills that will serve them for life.”
The Kairos pilot programme will launch into one low decile Auckland school in 2022, cementing Singh and Print as Future Legends in their field.
