Crusaders giving back to Christchurch youth

It's been back to school for the Crusaders this week as they open up to senior students at Shirley Boys' High in eastern Christchurch about resilience and relationships.

The pilot programme, fully funded by the Rātā Foundation, is a Crusade with Heart initiative and teams up with local men's mental health charity BetterMan for design and delivery.

Crusaders captain Scott Barrett told students he had been lucky to have supportive people around him.

"Early on my parents were right there. Whether they had advice or not, they would just be there to listen."

BetterMan co-founder and former Black Cap Todd Astle told 1News they based their two-hour workshops off the REF mode – an acronym for relationships, emotions, and flexible mindset.

"For us, it's great to be able to come in and deliver that in a fun and interactive way and having these role models on hand, shows we're all humans facing many of the same challenges, issues or feelings."

For Old Boy and current Crusaders lock Tahlor Cahill the programme hits close to home.

Two years ago, his cousin and former provincial rugby player Billy Guyton died by suspected suicide.

"I think it's really important for me to be able to give back as well. I want to help people. It's something I'm really passionate about."

Cahill said simple strategies around having someone to talk to and someone beside you made the journey of life easier.

In Christchurch particularly, there was a real need for this work as most students in the region grew up in a city recovering from the devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.

Shirley Boys headmaster Tim Grocott also acknowledged the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact it continues to have.

"Life isn't plain sailing. There is going to be stuff that happens along the way. Life in the east of Christchurch isn't that easy at times either for some of our boys, their friends and whānau, so it's important they're well-equipped to deal with that challenge."