Kia ora,

Christmas Day is only 41 days away, so here’s some helpful information for you to consider over the long weekend!!

After feedback from our recent survey, and in discussions with staff, school close dates, balancing annual leave and other work commitments, these are the dates we’ve locked in for our Summer Holiday Programmes:

• 17th -19th December 2025
• 19th – 23rd January 2026
• 26th – 30th January 2026

Bookings are now LIVE on aimyplus, via the AimyMe app or on the website:  https://yat.aimyplus.com

2026 Changes!!!

Everything will stay the same for our December programmes but from January 2026, there are a number of changes we’re making:

1. With no price increase for 2 years, we’ve needed to increase the price of our programmes to help cover increasing costs of activities, overheads and staffing. A standard day is increasing by $2 from $40 to $42 and an outing day will increase by $3 from $45 to $48. Extension days will increase by just $1 from $12 to $13.
2. We are changing the official finish time of holiday programmes to align with the finish time of most schools, finishing at 3:00pm. Previously we’ve had a rolling finish from 3:00pm – 3:30pm, but now our rolling finish will be from 2:40pm – 3:00pm (unless notified otherwise). Extension programme will start from 3:00pm and pick ups can be anytime before 5:45pm.
3. We have continued to be stung by some parents not paying for holiday programmes they’ve attended, and we have not been able to collect their debt. Therefore we are changing the process of booking holiday programmes, asking everyone to pay in advance of their bookings. If paying with EzyPay, we will see your payment right away. If paying via bank transfer, please be patient, until our accounts staff member can reconcile the payment, and then let us know to confirm payment. Kirsti doesn’t work everyday, so this will only be done periodically. Oscar applicants will continue to be confirmed only once we have signed the paperwork. If you’re child is ill or a booking needs to change, and we are given 24 hours notice were possible, we are happy to reimburse or credit your account, minus a 15% administration fee (according to our Terms and Conditions). Please email: accounts@yat.org.nz for any accounting enquiries, or rego@yat.org.nz for any registration changes.

Our Pe-Christmas Holiday Programme in a combined ages programme, with some split activities on the days. January Programmes are split into the normal 3 age groups:

• Pre-Christmas Holiday Programme (School Years 1-9) – including a Sailing Trip and some Christmas Adventures.
• January Kea (School Years 1-3) – including Peddlemania, Orana Park & Laser Strike.
• January Pukeko (School Years 4-6) – including Jellie Park, Ninja Valley & Living Springs.
• January Piwakawaka (School Years 6-9) – including a Escape Rooms, Spencer Park & Quail Island.

Website link:

www.yat.org.nz/holiday-programmes/holiday-programme-years-1-9/

Summer School Transition Years: You can choose to stay in the Year Group your child has been in 2025 OR move them into the next age group BUT please chose one of the other, not both programmes, to make it fair on others booking, and also help with continuity of relationships with leaders. Please contact us if there are exceptional circumstances.

Note: Activities are subject to change, due to weather, staffing or other circumstances.

Priority Bookings

Youth Alive Trust are only accepting bookings from previous families who have registered for our programmes in the past 12 months up until 12noon Wednesday 19^th November. This is to provide time for our regulars to make a booking, so they don’t miss out. After 12noon Wednesday, we will accept bookings from anyone else.

Oscar Subsidy

Check out if you’re eligible for government subsidies – it keeps going up!  If you have 3 or more children, you now need to be earning more than $3,004 per week to not be eligible for any support. If you have 2 children, you need to be earning more than $2,670 per week and if just 1 child, $2,336 per week (gross).  Many probably don’t realise they will qualify, if they just jump through a few bits of paperwork. The subsidy is only for those in work or study who need childcare. Click on the link below for full information about applying for the subsidy:

Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy – Work and Income

Booking Confirmation Policy

If you click that you’re applying for a government subsidy, then YAT’s policy is to only ‘confirm’ your booking once we’ve received your completed WINZ forms. We need to sign your form, so this can be dropped off at reception anytime in office hours, and we can send the paperwork to WINZ for you. OR, once we’ve signed it, we can take a copy, in case WINZ loose it (which does happen) and you can take it all into WINZ yourself.

Your booking will sit in the ‘Pending’ category for a week, until we’ve seen the paperwork. If we’ve not seen the paperwork, there is a chance your booking will be cancelled unless you get in touch to explain circumstances: rego@yat.org.nz

A reminder that you and we often don’t find out about how much WINZ will contribute to your holiday programme fees until after the programme, so you are responsible for any shortfall to be paid as soon as possible.

Bookings

All Bookings are done online at: https://yat.aimyplus.com or by using the AimyMe Parent App.

Here’s a reminder of how to make a booking after logging in:

– Click on ‘Make a booking’

– Select childs name

– Choose Programme Venue: ‘Youth Alive Oscar’

– Select ‘Holiday Programme’ & click ‘Next’

– Chose either “Term 4 Holiday 2025” or “Summer Holiday Programme 2026” to view options

– Select the days you’re keen to attend, by clicking “Book” on each day, for either standard or extension day.

– Click ‘Next’, ’Next’ and ’Confirm’

There are 3 options for payment at the time of booking:

1. Pay Now through EzyPay: Visa or Mastercard – Credit or Visa Debit (2.5% charge by EzyPay)
2. Bank Transfer (no fee for you). Please reference ‘HP’ and ‘Your Name’ – we won’t confirm booking until payment is made.
3. WINZ Client. You will need to input your client number into your profile before choosing this option. As above, it will stay ‘PENDING’ for a week until we have signed the paperwork.

Feedback

We appreciate any feedback on our programmes and have a short general parents feedback survey you can complete anytime. Positive comments made are also really helpful for us when applying for funding:

Parents Survey Link

Any issues or questions about programmes, registrations or cancelations, please email us at: rego@yat.org.nz

Any finance questions, please email us at: accounts@yat.org.nz

Nga Mihi

The YAT Team

www.yat.org.nz

PS: Did you come to out Family Fun Night? Check out the Photo Album and Highlights Video.

To Unsubscribe, please reply to this email to no longer receive any general updates from YAT.

www.facebook.com/youthalivetrustnz

www.instagram.com/youthalivetrust

www.youtube.com/@youthalivetrust

Hundreds of people descended on the annual Family Fun Night in New Brighton on Friday night in what the organisers describe as a ‘fun and safe alternative to trick of treating’. Children and not so young children played carnival style games, enjoyed the various inflatables, mechanical surfboard, listened to local youth bands perform, ate from the food trucks and took home some of the 30 kg of lollies that were given away. The event was ran at Grace Vineyard Beach Campus, in partnership with Youth Alive Trust, with the support of key sponsorship Home Foundation. One of the organisers, James Ridpath, manager of Youth Alive Trust said “The place was buzzing! I don’t know if that was the lollies, the candy floss or just the amount of fun activities on offer – but all the smiles and thank you’s as people left, made it all worthwhile”.

The event has been running in New Brighton for nearly 20 years, and it took over 50 volunteers from Grace Vineyard Church and Youth Alive Trust to run all the activities. Volunteer coordinator, Hannah Donald, said “we had people as young as 12 and as old as, err, somewhere in their 80s, helping run games, facepainting, cooking the BBQ, running the photobooth – the team effort was phenomenal, and that’s one of the hightlights of the whole event”.

Massive thanks to our major sponsor Home Foundation, and other supporters including The Warehouse, Kairos Food Rescue, Compassion Trust, Amplify School of Music and the many many volunteers who ran the activities on the night – you were amazing! Check out the Photo Album and this years Highlights Video:

Friends, donors, community leaders, parents, funders and other interested parties are welcome to attend the Youth Alive Trust Presentation to the Community 2025. This year we’re doing an after-work presentation, with canapés & drinks on arrival. We’ll share stories, updates, videos, and hear performances from young people, including ending with a performance from our singing and dancing group, RISE! It’s always a big encouragement for us to reflect on the year gone, and we hope it will be for you. Feel free to invite a friend who may be also interested in hearing about our mahi. RSVPs at this link: https://forms.office.com/r/0hsw3nMKyu

www.facebook.com/events/1484129136184774

Our September Holiday Programmes were a blast! If you didn’t get much information from your kids about what they did, check out the photos we uploaded onto our facebook:

Kea Holiday Programme – Sept 2025

Pukeko Holiday Programme – Sept 2025

Piwakawaka Holiday Programmes – Sept 2025

After feedback from our recent survey, and in discussions with staff, school close dates, balancing annual leave and other work commitments, we’ve made the decision that our Summer Holiday Programmes will be on these dates:

• 17^th -19^th December 2025
• 19^th – 23^rd January 2026
• 26^th – 30^th January 2026

Bookings will be LIVE on aimyplus on Thursday 13th November (before Show Weekend).

Youth Alive Trust will be running a Fun Day on Thursday 23rd October for anyone in School Years 1 – 8 while schools are closed due to Primary School Teacher Union Strikes. The programme will run during normal school hours, from 8:30am – 3:00pm and costs $40 per child. We’ll be playing lots of games, doing team challenges, baking, and eating what we’ve made! WINZ subsidies will be available for those who normally qualify for holiday programmes or Oscar care. Those needing care after 3:00pm can also sign up to our normal after-school care programme. Register via: yat.aimyplus.com by choosing the ‘Special Day’ option.

Kia ora,

It’s now less than 100 days until Christmas – get the countdown on! But don’t rush away the year yet, because we have some big plans for Term 4!

BONUS OFFER – we’re inviting taiohi (young people) moving into a new club age range, to try it out in Term 4 before they official transition in 2026.

Eg: Year 6’s can come to Rock Solid this term, Year 8’s can go to Surge, Year 4’s can go to Craft Club and Kitchen Klub, Year 3’s can come to Oscar! They can sign up for the full term, or just pop along to chosen nights. Invite your mates too!

Weekly clubs begin on Week 1, starting week of Monday 6^th October.  Term plans, brochures and online registration links for Term 4 are on our website.

> Seniors After-School Oscar (School Years 4-9) EVERYDAY with Van Pick Ups 2:45pm – 5:45pm. BONUS: Year 3’s Welcome in Term 4!

> Surge (School Years 9 – 13) Mondays 6:30-8:30pm. FREE for teenagers.  BONUS: Year 8’s Welcome in Term 4!

> #NEW 2025: RISE (ages 12-16) Mondays 6:30pm – 8:00pm.  FREE for teenagers.  BONUS: 11 year olds Welcome in Term 4! Check out their latest Promo Video HERE

> Basketball Clubs (School Years 1 – 8) Tuesdays 

• 3:15pm – 4:05pm (School Years 1-3)
• 4:15pm – 5:05pm (School Years 3-6)
• 5:15pm – 6:05pm (School Years 6-8)

> Kitchen Klub (School Years 5 – 9) Tuesdays 4:00pm – 5:30pm.  BONUS: Year 4’s Welcome in Term 4!

> Kōtirotiro Girls Club (School Years 1 – 6) Wednesdays 4:00pm – 5:30pm

> Tamatāne Boys Club (School Years 1 – 6) Thursdays 4:00pm – 5:30pm

> Craft Club (School Years 5 – 9) Thursdays 4:00pm – 5:30pm.  BONUS: Year 4’s Welcome in Term 4!

> Rock Solid (School Years 7 & 8) Fridays 4:00-6:00pm.   BONUS: Year 6’s Welcome in Term 4!

> Amplify Music Lessons (School Years 1-13) Everyday 3pm – 6pm

> Amplify Band Programme (School Years 7-13) various times by audition

Save The Date: Family Fun Night

Friday 31^st  October 5:00pm-7”30pm at Beach Campus

Everyone is welcome to the annual Family Fun Night.  For just $2 per person, join in a large variety of carnival games, inflatables, photo booth, food trucks (to purchase), live youth bands, RISE performance and a show by an entertainer.

We encourage ‘non-spooky’ dress-up’s because it’s a safe & fun alternative to Trick or Treating.

Thanks to Home Foundation for your kind sponsorship of our inflatables area.

Follow the facebook event for further updates: www.facebook.com/events/1124599442486657

Holiday Programmes

Our September Holiday Programmes start next week, and there are still limited spaces on certain days on the different age groups.

Log onto https://yat.aimyplus.com to find out more. If you’re unable to book, and keen to be added to the waitlist, email: rego@yat.org.nz

Our Summer Holiday Programmes will be 17^th -19^th Dec, 19^th – 23^rd Jan & 26^th – 30^th Jan.

Podcast Tip

Dads – Check out the easy listening podcast by Hamish Blake who chats with other dads about their approach to dadding, steal some of their hard earned wisdom and help us all dad a tiny bit better.

https://howotherdadsdad.com/

Feedback

We appreciate any feedback on our programmes and have a short general parents feedback survey you can complete anytime. Positive comments made are also really helpful for us when applying for funding:

Parents Survey Link

Ngā mihi

The YAT Team

This week we said a sad farewell to Jayden who is moving onto a new exciting role with another youth development agency in the city centre. Jayden has been a full-time worker at YAT for over 5 years, but has been a part of the YAT whānau most of his life, attending programmes as a child, teenager, then volunteering in various roles, picking up casual work, before becoming permanent staff, while obtaining a Diploma in Youth Work. His final day was yesterday, were he ‘coincidently’ led a fun day trip to Hanmer Springs with our rangatahi. Jayden will be hugely missed at YAT, particularly as the coordinator of our Kea Holiday Programme, Tamatāne Boys Club and Surge teenage club. We send Jayden with our best wishes. We’re stoked you’ll still be bringing the best of your skills and knowledge to the youth sector in Christchurch and know you’ll always be a part of our whānau.

Check out some of the work Jayden has been doing at Shirley Boys High School in their latest reports: Term 1 2025  Term 2 2025