Young All Blacks stars inspire Pasifika kids at Bubblegum school holiday program.
The Blues Rugby headquarters in Auckland was the site of a meet-and-greet session between a trio of Pacific Islands All Blacks and youngsters from the Bubblegum school holiday program last week.
All Blacks and Blues players Patrick Tuipolutu and Caleb Clarke were joined by new All Black and Chiefs star Wallace Sititi for the session.
The holiday program, the brainchild of SouthSeas Healthcare, is part of a five program initiative that helps to educate, inspire and uplift Pasifika kids and youth.
Leading from the front is Youth and Development team leader Ana Kivalu, who says having the kids meet their idols such as the All Blacks through their program, is a great result for them.
“For this holiday program we chose to activate with the All Blacks and today was about young people coming out of South Auckland and seeing what’s available for them but also, like the opportunities that are facing them,” Kivalu says.
“Seeing the young kids’ faces light up, its just them seeing someone that’s like them. Because we’re always used to seeing people on TV. And on TV, there’s always a gap there and seeing them in real life makes it bridge that gap and makes them feel like, you know what? I can do this.”
For young All Blacks Clarke and Sitit, taking part in the program took them back to a time when they were once in the young kids’ shoes, albeit not that long ago.
“I can clearly remember a time when Jerry Collins actually came around to our school and having that interaction and seeing someone of Pacific, coming into our little school in West Auckland, getting to see him come around; it’s a positive impact,” Clarke says.
“And yeah, just hopefully, we get to do the same nowadays.”
Having been a surprise selection in the All Blacks squad on the back of an impressive Super Rugby season for the Chiefs, Sititi says, he’s very much still in awe of the company he’s keeping.
“I still idolise some of the boys that I am rubbing shoulders with but, to hear these kids, definitely brings me back to earth and like I said, it’s something I am really passionate about,” Setiti says.
Speaking on the importance of the Bubblegum programme, Kivalu says that although there are many such programs around the country, most of them lack awareness in terms of our Pasifika cultures and values.
Being able to have both Clarke and Sititi present was a reminder to the kids present that they too can achieve their dreams and goals through hard work and dedication.
“There’s a lot of school holiday programs. But it’s really important that we don’t let things in the system disallow us from practising things in our culture,” she says.
“For Pasifika people having a place where they see Psifika faces where they have Pasifika values implemented into the program is really important for them.”
Clarke echoed the same thoughts as he touched on how much of an inspiration the Pasifika community is to him.
“It’s awesome being part of something that does alot of work in the community especially for our Pacific community. And being a part of that is always something special.
“For me it always fills my cup to come back and see our young Pasifika in our community and hopefully we can be the role models that they see nowadays and for us we’ve got to remember that’s our responsibility for now.”
As for Sititi, being a role model is an adjustment he has had to make and learn quickly over the past few months.
Only making his Super Rugby debut halfway through the season this year, the 21 year old’s on field brilliance caught the attention of new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson earning him the callup to higher honours.
And reflecting so far on an incredible year, Sititi says he owes his success to his parents in his Christian upbringing.
“Always keep a good relationship with God. My parents have always emphasised that for me and it’s definitely one thing that has helped me out. And also my parents, very humble parents, very proud and grateful parents so they definitely keep me grounded,” he says.
“It’s been full on. It’s been really intense. New coaching group and a lot of new boys as well, so definitely looking after each other, but yeah it’s definitely been intense.”
As he gets set for potentially his first hit out for the All Blacks this weekend, Sititi acknowledged programs such as Bubblegum for allowing him to connect with his Pasifika people and community.
“The Pacific community is definitely something I am passionate about. A Lot of them went to the same school that I went to as well so definitely special. And yeah, definitely enjoyed this morning.”
And Clarke added, “rugby is a platform that we use at the end of the day to connect with as many people as we can. Especially us as Pacific, we want to plug back in the community of where we came from and who we are as a people.”
As for Kivalu and her team, they hope to expand the program in future years by involving parents and families of the school kids.
She believes that it takes a village to raise a child and that having that village present to uplift and inspire them is crucial for the lessons provided at Bubblegum.
“Today we bought the young people but next time I want to bring their families. And I think for next time that is one thing we want to do is bring our villages with us and they get exposed to this,” she says.
“If there’s opportunities that come up then our parents and families will be joining us in this experience.”
