Steering the Farming Youth of the Future
Helping school leavers discover the path of their passion.
Happy New Year everyone. I’m sure by now most of us are back to work and holding on to the memories of our summer holidays. I have enjoyed spending a quiet time around Waimakariri. We are fortunate to have everything we need on our doorstep. It has also been a good time to prepare for the year ahead which is going to be busy.
We often say it is never too early to start thinking of your future. The first skill we like to pass on to our youth is a way to capture thoughts and ideas. Its very simple and back to basics, by carrying a note pad and a pen.
Planning and setting goals by writing things down and brain storming often. To do this you need to be writing down all of your thoughts, dreams and passions as you may just come back to them again one day.
If you find yourself getting into a dull and stagnant stage at school, you need to address this earlier than later. Our group provides free coaching for our future youth around planning, motivation and goal setting.
Although we specialise in rural and farming pathways, we can also help you plan other pathways and connect you to the right people for your chosen industry.
One thing we suggest and encourage is to have your parents support as well, keep them informed in your ideas and decisions and planning.
If you were interested in a career in farming, we offer first hand experience with practical exposure to Agriculture. We do this, as it is often the most successful way to know if this is a fit for you or not.
Generally you will have many questions while out on the land, questions you would not have come across in the classroom.
What you will learn while there are general farming skills and usual farm practice. Comprised of a combination of theory and hands on learning, an introduction to Health and Safety - and essential to embrace from the beginning.
We expose you to various areas of farming, to help you understand and decide on the whats involved. From business management to planning and problem solving to life skills like cooking, budgeting, buying food, time management, vehicle and farm maintenance to name a few.
We touch on Animals care and Genetics and the fundamentals of sustaining your farm. We steer you to work with experienced owners and operators who are qualified in their trade.
Part of your journey through this will involve you writing out your plan, asking questions and identifying what you want to learn from your training course. Identify what gaps you want to look into and the things that interest you the most.
Another handy skill you will learn while on your course is to carry a pocket knife at all times, how to use it correctly. An essential farm practice along side your note pad and pen for ideas and planning.
We will teach you to have passion in what you endevour, as with passion comes positivity with the want to do and achieve.
If you embrace passion as part of your goals and dreams, you will soon learn that being positive is the good in all you do. Where as if you embrace negativity, you will no doubt find you are always set to fail or lose sight of your goals. The best thing you can do is speak with your coach if you experience negativity while on your journey, as if addressed early, we can help you stop it in its tracks and get you back on a positive pathway.
We want you to also experience and fell the love of our land first hand, it is our mission that we want to share with you, so you too can enjoy being part of it.
We are here for your future, always be prepared to ask questions, there are no silly questions, if its on your mind then ask them. Let us help you discover your way through to your future ahead.
I have written a book you may find useful called
”The Love of our Land” and am working on my next one which it to be titled “Passion to Gold”
Written by
David Taylor
For more information go to our website: www.landcarenz.co.nz or for donations to support what a difference we can achieve go to www.landcarenz.co.nz/membership/
