Movie fundraiser for Team D

BY JULIA WADE

Following their national champion success last year, a young group of diversified thinkers are currently gathering funds to showcase their talent at an international big-league competition.

Mangawhai Beach School (MBS) Year 8 students Ruby Judson, Sophie Lambert, Michael Lynch, Jack Brooks and Tatiana Chan-Chui – aka ‘Team Diversity’ – won the 2019 NZ National Future Problem Solving Finals in Auckland last November, and now have the opportunity to further develop their research topic ‘Diversity and Stereotypes within Mangawhai Community’ and present their findings to international delegates at the University of Massachusetts in Boston this coming June. The global competition includes 13 countries with over 2,500 competitors attending.

Competition chaperone and mum, Shelley Lambert, says a fundraising movie night is being organised on Friday February 7 at Mangawhai Movies.

“It includes an introduction by the team, a silent auction followed by a screening of comedy hit ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’,” she says. “We are fundraising to get four of the team members to Boston if possible, which costs $4000 each, $1000 per person for the competition days.”

Guided by former MBS teacher Cate Campbell and mentor Brooklyn Wilson, ‘Team D’ also initiated discussions within the community last year, presenting their winning topic ‘How do we connect people in Mangawhai so that we break stereotypes in our community and celebrate diversity?' with two public seminars held at the Historical Village old Anglican Church.

“The team are working on solutions to unite Mangawhai community and NZ society by celebrating all of our strengths, and are currently creating a website and strength cards with QR codes, to encourage deeper learning about the individual strengths of people,” Lambert says. “These kids are extension learners, who can continue to use their creative minds to improve our own local community as well as New Zealand.”

¢Taking their message to the world, ‘Team Diversity’ are (back) Ruby Judson, Jack Brooks, Sophie Lambert, (front) Michael Lynch and Tatiana Chan-Chui, at a presentation last November. PHOTO/ARCHIVE

“The team are working on solutions to unite Mangawhai community and NZ society by celebrating all of our strengths…”