There were no barley sugars in sight but there were good vibes galore in the World Vision 40 Hour Challenge tent in Palmerston North, with Youth Engagement Team Constable Connor Sparkes joining the crew.
The event (previously known as the 40 Hour Famine) is New Zealand’s largest youth fundraising campaign and was held last month to raise funds and awareness for thousands of children living in poverty in more than 40 countries.
Connor got involved with the challenge through engaging with local community groups, which led him to liaising with youth leaders from All Saints Church.
“I had a meeting with Davis Sione, one of the youth leaders, and he invited me to come along to the event tent which was setup on the Railway Reserve in the CBD,” says Connor.
“Davis does a lot of youth work with his church in the city and I was chuffed to be asked by him to come along and support it.”
The event involved a group of around 30-40 young people overnighting in a large tent and getting involved in a range of activities, including a silent disco, games and sports, along with reflection periods.
Eating and drinking was also kept very basic - rice and water were the main fare with the extra challenge of measuring their water intake, so they kept to 40 litres to drink, cook and wash.
“The challenge has evolved since its inception but it continues to highlight the hardships of those less fortunate, especially in some African regions,” says Connor.
A band played inside the tent, pictured above right, which kept everyone’s spirits high, and the youth made Connor feel very welcome.
Davis says it was a no-brainer, that when the young people were asked about some of their highlights during the 40 hour challenge, that Connor's name was mentioned many times.
“Not only did they remember Connor's name, they valued the time he spent talking with them and doing laps around the reserve," says Davis.
“Those moments with a police representative were a first for many, positive for others more familiar to visits outside their control, but one that has left all our young people with such a new and positive view of Police beyond their biases – a win-win for our kids, our community, Police and also for those countries that we helped raise money for.
“To Connor and the local police team, thank you so much for partnering with us and our tamariki!”
Connor says being part of the event was a great opportunity to break down barriers that some of them may have with Police.
“I think the youth loved having me along, despite some of them being a bit hesitant at the start," says Connor.
“As the hours wore on, they began asking me lots of questions about my role and I also joined in with the silent disco and the other activities.
“A few told me they had never spoken to a police officer before, and some who had did not have a great experience, but by the end of the weekend they were asking me how they could become a cop, which was awesome.”
Connor says the best part of the event for him was watching the youth have a good time and being able to engage, have a laugh and show them that police are approachable.
“I think it’s beneficial to support events like this because it gives youth who wouldn’t necessarily have any contact with police, or those who have had negative experiences in the past, the chance to have an informal interaction and ask questions,” says Connor.
“Now they know my name and face they said they would come and talk to me when I’m on the beat, which will hopefully make them feel more comfortable reporting offences that have happened to them and feel safer in the city.
“I’m relatively new to my role so have spent the time so far engaging with a range of youth organisations and the youths themselves in and around Palmy.
“The value and positive impact of Police staff attending events like this is priceless and I look forward to hopefully attending many more.”