Haka Warriors
WHAT IS THE HAKA WARRIOR PROGRAM?
The PCYC Haka Warrior Program 2025 is a cultural initiative designed to foster unity, respect, leadership, and cultural awareness among Pasifika young people in Western Sydney and the Central Coast. Spanning 20 weeks, the program combines workshops, interactive activities, and community events to promote cultural understanding, social skills, and peer mentoring. A key feature of the program is the collaboration with cultural elders and experts, ensuring culturally responsive content and a strengths-based approach to support positive outcomes for participants.
PROGRAM INFO
The PCYC Haka Warrior Program 2025 is a dynamic cultural initiative aimed at fostering unity, respect, leadership, and a sense of belonging among young people. The program provides a platform for students to develop cultural awareness, social skills, and community connections through a strengths-based model that emphasises cultural engagement and peer mentoring. This initiative offers a pathway to greater cultural understanding and personal growth.
A core strength of the program lies in its commitment to continual improvement, driven by feedback from participants, communities, and schools. Collaboration with cultural elders, leaders, and experts in New Zealand to enhances the program’s design and delivery, ensuring cultural responsiveness and the use of strength-based approaches. Recent improvements to the program include increased mentor involvement through meaningful workshops fostering deeper connections within schools and communities.
Spanning 20 weeks, the program blends structured workshops with creative activities and community events. The first 13 sessions focus on “Unity and Inclusion,” where students explore the history, traditions, and protocols of various cultures, including First Nations, Māori, Samoan, Tongan, and Cook Islands cultures. To enhance engagement, the program includes interactive games, team challenges, and cultural choreography. A unique element, the Video Reflection Challenge, allows participants to document their journey through videos and photos, showcasing their experiences at the program’s final event.
For more information, please contact: pcycprograms@pcycnsw.org.au
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Eligibility for the Haka Warrior Program is based on location and school participation. The program is available to young people in the Central Coast and Western Sydney regions of New South Wales. As the program is delivered in partnership with schools by PCYC, high schools within these areas must sign up to participate in the program for students to be eligible.