Leo loves to help at Digital Seniors.
Leo's mum says he has always had a genuine love of and interest in people and has always found pleasure in helping anyone with anything. "He has always had an easy way about him and making connection with people in general.
Being a working parent there have been times when he has had to come along to classes I teach at Literacy Aotearoa and from very young he has had interest in my learners and what they are learning and taken opportunities to get involved when he can.
He started coming along to Digital Seniors with me in the same way, as a school holidays tag along on Wednesday mornings at the Masterton Library, but as with most situations he found ways to make himself useful by offering his help and connecting with everyone around him as they were waiting for help from one of our coaches.
People started asking where he was when holidays were over and he had to go back to school.
Leo was asked to volunteer at the Masonic village by one of the other coaches, Andre, who runs a group there and who had noticed that Leo was eager to lend a hand when he could. The group meets after school hours and extra hands are always welcome.
I am really proud of the skills he has learned at 13! Planning a learning session and taking in to consideration people's learning needs, making a presentation, answering on the spot questions and answering clearly. Thinking about the steps to a process and explaining them with patience and recognising the skills someone already has and the next steps to build on them.
He's always keen for some feedback and eager to try new things in his approach to be as helpful as he can be.
I'm very thankful for the Digital Seniors community, coaches and clients, for encouraging and valuing him and for their patience with his learning as well, they have helped him grow and develop so cool life skills!
Leo gets a genuine kick out of being able to explain something that might make someone's life and technology use a bit easier, and from learning about people and their lives and is eager to head off each week to lend a hand."
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
It’s Riddle Time – You Might Need an Extra Cup of Coffee!
Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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84.7% Yes
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13.9% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below