For the past year and a half, I have been taking clients along to Inclusive Taekwon-Do (NZ ITF) in Hastings. The Thursday night group is for people with special needs and some of them also attend other inclusive mainstream sessions each week too. What an incredible club Ben Evans runs. It truly is fully inclusive, and the Thursday nights are inspirational with many of the black belt seniors also with disabilities leading the group through their patterns. The routines and ethics of the club provide a secure environment where everyone knows what is expected of them and there is mutual respect and acceptance of difference. Ben knows all his students and how to support each one positively to help them progress at their own pace. The core principles are courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit. You can really see these in action there. The sense of shared purpose and celebration of individual achievements is so evident every session. Many of the people have made long-term genuine friendships and they have a shared sense of being in a safe and welcoming community. I can’t speak highly enough of what a special organisation NZ ITF Taekwon-Do is! What an example they are to show how people with disabilities can be successful participants and contributors in a learning environment when they have the positive support and structures to achieve at their own pace.
I’m passionate about getting more opportunities for people with disabilities based in Central Hawkes Bay (CHB); so, with this in mind I got together with Katrina at the Paul Hunter Centre in Waipukurau to get Ben to start a group down there. He was so keen to do this and we are now in our second term of Taekwondo at the Paul Hunter Centre. He is also taking groups at some of our schools now too. What a buzz there is when Ben arrives each week to lead our group. He brings such positive energy and enthusiasm to each session and the time just flies past. Little by little we are learning the first pattern, and some people (me included) will be ready to grade for their first time in June for their “yellow stripe”. Apart from the mental well-being and sense of shared purpose there are many benefits to be gained from Taekwondo: improved physical co-ordination and balance, building muscle memory, memory development, ability to follow verbal instructions, increased confidence and self-belief. I enjoy the class enormously and can see the progress with each person in our group, both in the pattern work but also in their confidence to participate in new things, contribute ideas and positively support each other as fellow learners, recognising that although we have different skills and abilities, we are all equal team members.
