To our Cantabrian Students ...

A special message from our Christchurch based coordinator, Jess Edmonds

February 22^nd was a day that changed Christchurch forever. The ground was shaking, walls were moving and bricks were falling. Whether you were in the classroom, out at lunch or at home, it was a frightening day for all. Lives have been lost and our city has been broken, but as you have all heard over and over again our Cantabrian spirits have stayed strong!

I was lucky... 

Although my city office is a mess - my home, family and friends are all ok.  For me, after the dust had settled, it was normality that I sought above all things. Being in isolation in those first few days was lonely and all I wanted was for things to go back to ‘normal’. 

I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude the first time a group of my friends and family gathered after the earthquake. Although they have always meant so much to me, I felt especially grateful on this day to have them in my life. 

When I started back at work for SADD, again I felt that gratitude, this time for still being able to do something I love. This small piece of normality in returning to work, helped me to move on. I know that each of you have your own stories – and some will be incredibly painful  – but I believe that we all may hold a common vision. A vision that sees Christchurch re-build and for Cantabrians to work together and move forward. 

A part of this phase of recovery. as we work towards rebuilding our great city, calls for each of us to carry on. To retain our passion for the things we love; to continue to work hard in school and at work, and most of all, to continue to strive to achieve our goals and dreams.

All of us at SADD are aware and understand that making conference this year may be a big ask for our Canterbury students - and this will be challenging for a number of reasons. However, if you would like to make the trip to Dunedin, to take that first step back into your SADD programmes - then we would love to hear from you!  

There is some support out there to help you make it to conference - so let us know if you would like to come and we might be able to help. Not only will conference give you a chance to be surrounded by your peers, your SADD friends, but it will also give you the opportunity to retain your passion and continue to work towards your goals - another chance to move forward in your life.

Equally, if there are just too many hurdles to attending conference, then know that we are here to support you in any ways we can.  Perhaps you would like us to share the conference learning with you after the event - and we know that there will be fellow SADD members who would be happy to help you in this way!  

My message to you is, that no matter what you are facing, or what you might need - please don't be afraid to reach out and tell us about it.

The energy I personally had bundled up around the earthquake is now being released as I work together with SADD students in the Upper South Island to create positive change.   I have found the return to work and to what I love to do, a true catharsis - a positive step towards my own recovery.  I now look with positivity to the recovery of our great city.  We are Cantabrians, we are Kiwis, and we can do anything!

- Kia Kaha Otautahi (Christchurch) – We hope to see you at SADD Conference 2011 and we look forward to working with you throughout the year!

Gabe's Story

Imagine this ...

It's 1999 and you are a 16 year old guy.  You've got your first car (a Honda City); you've got a girlfriend; you've just enrolled at polytech to undertake a computer course, and you're mad about skateboarding ... and in fact, quite good at it too.  Good enough for a local business to want to sponsor you.

Life's pretty good huh!?

Well then, imagine this ...

You've just spent some time with your family out at the beach.  You have come back into town to drop your girlfriend off at work and to go and visit your grandparents.  That all done, you're making your way home about 3.00pm in the afternoon when your life changes forever.

That's part of Gabe's story, you see Gabe was hit by a drunk driver that afternoon.  He was just 2 minutes from home ... can you imagine?  Just 2 short minutes from home, driving on a residential street and he's hit, head on.  The driver of the other car is not only drunk, but he's traveling at 100 kms per hour in a 50 km zone.  

Gabe can't remember much of the crash or the (what must have been) hair-raising hours following.  But luckily for him, the emergency services arrived to cut him free of his vehicle and carefully bundle his broken body into an awaiting ambulance.  

Can you imagine?

And his day didn't end there.  Gabe was then airlifted from one hospital to another, over 200kms away.  Sat beside him is a trauma specialist who is doing everything possible to help Gabe make it safely to his destination.  

Meanwhile, Gabe's family have heard the news and they are now having to make the trip from the beach to the hospital, over 3 hours drive away ... all the time wondering if he'll be okay when they get there.

Gabe has a fractured hip, leg, pelvis and elbow, along with liver damage, bruised lungs and a severe concussion ... and that's just the beginning of the story!

Gabe's story is one of survival ... a long road of recovery and of discovery - of finding out how to now live when things (when he) will never be the same.  

We are so proud to be offering our conference delegates the chance to meet Gabe at this year's SADD Conference Season, and to hear first-hand his amazing story.  We are immensely grateful to Gabe for being brave and generous enough to share his experiences, so that we may learn.

We know Gabe's story will further inspire the hundreds of students who dedicate their time each year to running the SADD programme in their schools and communities. 

Plus - there's a twist to Gabe's story that you won't believe! 

To find out more about our 2011 Conference season - download this registration pack

Our Conference Season 2011 - Social Entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurs CAN and DO change the world!

SADD's student members, whether they know this or not, are a breed of Social Entrepreneur.  They are industrious, creative and committed in their work to change the attitudes and behaviours around drink-driving.  They educate their peers; heighten the awareness around this serious issue in their own communities and deliver outcomes that, in relation to our important cause, improve the world around them.

Social Entrepreneurship can seem like a lofty subject matter ... it's the kind of term that could scare most young people and have them thinking that it's something outside of their knowledge and experience base.  The reality is that many of the young people we know are already Social Entrepreneurs - they just don't know the 'label' or what it means. 

That is why we are incredibly excited about the theme for this year's SADD conference season:

Social Entrepreneurship - working together to create positive change

Over two, three-day events (North Island and South Island conferences) we will be inducting our student delegates to the world of Social Entrepreneurship.  Unpicking how this relates to our own work and showing them how each of them, in their own right, are already Social Entrepreneurs - with much to offer their community, their school and SADD's important mission!

At conference our student delegates will have the opportunity to learn from experts; workshop with their peers; contribute to the design of a national campaign; network with SADD students from across each Island and, most importantly, have a lot of fun and a really rewarding experience.


Conference details can be found on our website:  http://www.sadd.co.nz


We look forward to providing further information on this year's conference season through this blog and we will continue to add posts each week.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi