A group of high school students from South Los Angeles started a two-week rugby tour of New Zealand on Sunday 25th March with a stay at the Kokiri Centre in Raglan.
Making up one girls’ and one boys’ rugby team, the 37 teens aged 15-18 are all drawn from the 15 charter schools that comprise the Los Angeles’ Inner City Education Foundation. The ICEF serves nearly 4500 pupils from what have traditionally been disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles.
During their time in New Zealand (25 March – 10 April), the two ICEF teams will play a number of matches against local school teams. The itinerary also include cultural activities and outdoor pursuits such as white water rafting and horse trekking in the course of travelling to Rotorua, Wellington, and Kaikoura, staying on marae in Raglan and Turangi, and being billeted with families in Christchurch.
“New Zealand is incredibly different from the reality of many of these kids’ lives,” says Stuart Krohn, director of Rugby for ICEF. “This will be a life changing experience.”
David Huebner, US Ambassador to New Zealand, welcomes the visit.
“I am delighted to see my fellow Angelenos visit New Zealand,” he says. “Having rugby players from Los Angeles and New Zealand meet, train, and socialise together is a tremendous opportunity to underscore just how much we all have in common.
“Such efforts teach our next generations of leaders to think for themselves, experience the world directly rather than through someone else’s cloudy eyes, and focus on common challenges and opportunities. I can imagine no better investment in a positive future.”
Media Release: Monday, 26th March, 2012 Press Release: ICEF Rugby