Help Mikayla Lead the The Future Generation

Kia Ora,

My name is Mikayla Cahill. I have been given a wonderful opportunity with an educational non government organisation called Ako Mātātupu. As a member of their programme, I am trained to work in low decile schools, teaching, leading, and inspiring our youth of tomorrow. The programme itself focuses on leadership and building strong interpersonal relationships with students and community to unite against the root problems of educational inequality in Aotearoa such as poverty, and the institutional and systemic failures of Māori and Pasifika students in our schools.

I grew up in a poor family, and attended a low decile school in a low socio-economic area. The first of my family to attend university, I have experienced first hand, both as an educator and as a student, the effects of education inequality. I chose to apply for this programme because it aims to tackle these problems through grass roots community work, that builds hope and ambition alongside bridging systemic and social equity among people that need it. In other words, it allows me to make a real, positive change in my society.

I have always wanted to be an educator, and I cannot begin to explain how much joy, enthusiasm, and hope I feel when I am in the classroom and engaging meaningfully with my students. I have only two years of teaching experience by far, but after the programme, I become a fully registered teacher in New Zealand having received an MA and an extra two years of experience.

Having struggled financially as a child in school, and come through in the other side as a teacher, I am acutely aware of the numerous circumstances that affect a child’s ability to learn outside of school, and I firmly believe that school should be fun and accessible for every single child in this country (and around the world), and with your help I’m hoping to be able to make that a life long career. But I can only do that if I move to Auckland. And, having grown up in a poor family and living paycheck to paycheck after the last six years, the costs of relocation and living in Auckland is more than I’m able to afford.

I’m hoping that my desire to encourage and lead our young people to stay in school and succeed in life by doing we’ll in school is something you find worth while.

Thank you for taking the time to read the cause for my fundraising efforts, have a nice day! :)