The Blues Charitable Trust (BCT) team have been out in the school community recently delivering a bespoke BCT session to approximately 150 Year 11 students at Sacred Heart College in Auckland. 

BCT General Manager, Rob Woodley ONZM, Early Career & Development Manager, Rose-Marie Nathan, and Blues Community Manager, Harrison Sanders held the session which focused on self-leadership and effective communication. These topics were specifically chosen by Sacred Heart to provide meaningful skills for students as they wrap up 2024 and prepare for greater leadership responsibility in 2025.

BCT’s tailored two-period session delved into key aspects of self-leadership, including exploring personality types and understanding their strengths and values. 

Students were guided on how to harness their unique attributes, build confidence, and become more self-aware leaders. The session featured activities, worksheets, and practical steps aimed at enhancing effective communication - tools they can apply at school and in their extracurricular pursuits.

Year 11 Dean and Head of Health at Sacred Heart College, Jaaz Samuela, said the benefits were endless for his students.

"We had a committee to create a meaningful end-of-year programme to equip our boys with practical skills before they break up for the holidays. With their reputation and impact, including students from our Flagship programme, inviting the Blues Charitable Trust was a natural choice.” 

“We’re thrilled with their sessions on self-leadership—an area vital in today’s world. The diverse delivery methods, from interactive Kahoot! to open Q&A, kept our students engaged and learning throughout. We’ll definitely have them back again," said Samuela.

BCT General Manager Rob Woodley said the student feedback from the sessions was really positive and he’s proud of the impact the BCT programme is having in the Blues community.

“Feedback from our students is crucial in tailoring our BCT programme to their needs. The Sacred Heart students were really interested in the leadership component of these sessions and understanding how values and work ethic are important in building strong leaders,” said Woodley.

 “It’s cool to hear the students can see the leadership characteristics we reference in the BCT programme personified in our Blues players. One pupil mentioned that he can see how Patrick Tuipulotu’s work ethic is evident in the way he plays and captains the side - it’s awesome the students are making those links,” he said. 

Blues Charitable Trust Chair and Sacred Heart old boy, Peter Reidy, said he’s proud of the way the BCT programme is gathering momentum in the Blues community.   

 “This Super Rugby season the BCT programme is hoping to reach over 400 emerging youth leaders from 40 secondary schools. The work Rob and the team are doing epitomises our purpose of empowering our rangatahi to make good choices for great lives,” said Reidy.

More information:

 For more information about the BCT programme or if you would like to get involved with the BCT, please email Rob Woodley rob.woodley@blues.rugby