This summer adventurer Jamie Fitzgerald and the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD) are teaming up for New Zealand’s young people.

Confident and healthy young people are critical to the success of building vibrant and strong communities. It is crucial that our next generation of Kiwi parents, business and community leaders continue to develop the legacy of a positive, successful and caring New Zealand.

Our young people are our future.

New Zealand has a poor record when it comes to young people’s health. The rates of youth suicide, death from vehicle injuries, unplanned pregnancy, and drug and alcohol use are among the highest in the western world.

To improve the health of our young people, we need to understand the issues they face, realising that young people’s health and wellbeing depends on healthy families and communities, and environments that nurture and inspire them.

New Zealand needs coordinated efforts that cut across the traditional silos of health care, social services and education – an holistic approach to youth wellbeing.

What is The Big Walk? An exciting catalyst for change in New Zealand!

The Big Walk will see Jamie and veteran mountaineer and co-founder of FYD, Graeme Dingle, travel the 3000km Te Araroa trail which stretches the length of New Zealand. Along the journey both will be joined by groups of New Zealand youth who are involved in or have graduated FYD’s programmes.

Graeme and fellow FYD co-founder, Jo-anne Wilkinson, will begin at Bluff and Jamie at Cape Reinga. Each group of young people (predominantly 16 – 18 years, but up to 24) will spend up to five days (approx 100km leg) with them on the trail, accompanied by two professional wilderness facilitators.

During each leg concepts such as goal setting, attention to detail, and reward and recognition will be covered through various activities, and evening ‘fireside chats’. The activities are designed to further develop their life skills and uncover what they think is required to engage youth within their community.

The groups will travel toward each other until they meet in Wellington on Monday, February 1, 2010. They will then walk the length of Lambton Quay with every participant of the campaign, and be greeted by government officials at a ceremony at Parliament.

The following day, they will take part in an event designed to draw out key learnings and insights of the campaign, aimed at adding sustainable value toward youth development in New Zealand. Jamie, Graeme, Jo-anne, and other participating leaders will help draw the parallels between what the students demonstrated on the trip, and what is required to improve youth engagement back in their regions.

As a result of the entire campaign, FYD will draw together a document of outcomes and pathways to a better future and present this to policy-makers.