More than $39,000 is being donated to Tauranga Intermediate School to go towards counselling and mental health resources for the school.

“Youth Lives Matter holds an event each year to raise money to provide counselling services to Intermediate schools in the Bay of Plenty,” says Youth Lives Matter founder Colleen Schumacher.

This year, the organisation presented Tauranga Intermediate School with a cheque for $39,317.51.

Tauranga Intermediate School principal Cameron Mitchell says students are struggling with a large variety of issues.

“We've got all sorts of social anxiety caused through the effect of platforms like Instagram and Snapchat and TikTok.

“We've got domestic violence and broken relationships in the family that have an impact on children.

“It's all of the above.”

“For a two-year period from 2012, our school suffered from the tragic loss of three of our students so that prompted an urgent response from our board.”

The money will provide counselling and mental health resources for the school, says Cameron.

“It's going to go a long way to provide high-quality counselling services for the students of the intermediate school.

 “We’re oversubscribed.

“We can't meet the demand for students that are wanting counselling services within our school.

“We've just lost our amazing counsellor because of the qualifications, you can get paid a lot more in the private sector or outside of the school education circle.

“School is restricted as to how much we can pay them.

“It's about trying to get their balance right as far as attracting people that want to work in schools, but also them knowing they're not going to get paid as much as what they could elsewhere.”

Currently, the school has four youth mentors, says Cameron.

“Youth mentors connect with students that need extra pastoral support around the school.

“All of our students check in with their mentors first thing in the morning, and they go through their day to make sure they're all set up for a positive start.”

The Primary sector is not provided with any funds for mental health services, says Colleen.

“If you are a student in year seven and eight at an area school that goes from years one to 13 or you are at a middle school from year seven to nine you are provided with free counseling services,” says Cameron.

“If you're a year seven, eight student in an intermediate school or a full primary school, you are not provided with free counseling services. So you've got disparity with between year seven, eight students in certain schools in New Zealand getting free counseling and then in other schools.”

“I started it the group due to the loss of a very good friend of mines’ the 13-year-old son took his life at the end of 2020 and he went to Mountain Intermediate,” says Colleen.

“I realised the struggles that the school had and that there was no government funding for counsellors in intermediate schools.

“In the primary sector in New Zealand, there's no funding.”

Mount Maunganui Intermediate School struggled to try and get any support when their school was in a massive, huge crisis, says Colleen.

“That's what started the ball rolling, and then when it was so successful last year, we thought we'll do it again.”

“Last year, the money went to Mount Intermediate.

“We raised just over $85,000.”