Community
The SIT | Te Pūkenga Pasifika Open Night is back early this year; in collaboration with Pacific Island Advisory & Charitable Trust (PIACT), to provide Pasifika’s southernmost community with an event informing them on education and training opportunities.
Held in a culturally supportive format for the community, SIT is holding the event two-and-a-half months earlier than 2022 to allow for semester two enrolments. The open night presents a wide array of tertiary subjects to help secondary school-level Pacific Island students explore career possibilities for their future.
SIT Pasifika Liaison, Sam Sala, supports Pasifika students with course advice, study issues, cultural event organisation, and helps them to connect with their local cultural communities. After the two-year gap due to pandemic disruptions, Mr Sala said last year’s event was successful. “There was a good turnout from the local Pasifika community, including elders, coming to support the event.” There are around seven Pacific Island cultures expected to support the June 15th event.
The open night’s main purpose is to show students the choices available at SIT, to encourage them to think outside typical options, and consider a broader range of qualifications, Mr Sala said. “It’s about opening up their minds to enhance their career
opportunities.” They also aimed to cater for people of all ages and those who may already be in the workforce; SIT is able to assist them with retraining and looking at options for a new career path.
Attendees can also find out about the supportive learning environment offered to Pasifika students at SIT. “It’s about giving each student the best chance to succeed in their studies,” Mr Sala said.
As well as offering guidance to students still at school who were undecided on what they were going to study at tertiary level, the open night also performed another service – to reconnect the community as a whole, and to meet and greet each other. “Pacific Island culture is all about family and that doesn’t necessarily mean immediate family and relatives, it can mean your people and your community,” Mr Sala explained. With a sizeable Pacific Island community in Invercargill, he said it was really important for them to be together, to talk to each other and support and encourage one another. “The open night allows the coming together of our community, which is an integral part of Pasifika culture.”
On the night, there will be entertainment from four cultural groups: Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and the Cook Islands, and light refreshments – traditional food – will be available.
SIT & PIACT Pasifika Open Night will be held on Thursday, June 15th, at PIACT Hall, 135 Bowmont Street, Invercargill, 5.30 – 7.30pm.