Through the Kōrero o te ‘Ōrau (NGO), the ‘Ātui’anga ki te Tango 2023 group of youths will be participating in the Country of Origin Volleyball Series in Aotearoa New Zealand in the first week of July.

Kōrero o te ‘Ōrau, local NGO in the Cook Islands, has been running its ‘Ātui’anga ki te Tango (AKTT) programme for senior students since 2019. The AKTT programme focuses on holistic learning of spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional development with a strong indigenous, cultural, and environmental focus and Ridge to Reef learnings. One sport that has been wholeheartedly embraced by AKTT students is volleyball. 

Jackie Rongo, secretary of Kōrero o te ‘Ōrau, has been sharing with AKTT students her knowledge of indoor volleyball from her playing days with the Guam national team and also redshirting at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo. 

“I’ve been working with my original boys’ team from 2020 alongside some volleyball parents and mentors in our community, and it’s been such a pleasure watching them grow over time,” Rongo reflected. 

“AKTT has a strong emphasis on youth development. We are now able to field a number of teams for the different local tournaments we have on Rarotonga run by the Cook Islands Volleyball Federation. It’s great to see our youth learning good core values of teamwork, discipline, and respect among other things.”

In order to participate in volleyball, students must be a part of the AKTT programme which is about so much more than just the sport; there is a strong cultural aspect as well. 

“I am also a huge advocate of clean habits, and the students know that in order to play on my volleyball teams, they must do their part and choose to stay clean from smoking, vaping, drinking alcohol, and illegal drugs,” Rongo shared.  “I’ve been very fortunate to have a caring community behind me with eyes all around, helping me keep these kids on track. It has been far from a smooth journey, but there is a pathway back after falling off if they choose it. That is the most important lesson: to make better choices.

“As a mentor, aunty, mama, coach, and confidant to my AKTT students, I constantly hope and pray they can stay on track despite peer pressure and bad role models around them. I can’t help but see in them my nephew/son Mona who I lost in 2020, and so I tell them… when I fight for you, I am fighting to keep Mona alive.”   

Last year in July 2022, AKTT Volleyball met James Summers on Rarotonga when he brought teams over for some match play opportunities during the holiday, and AKTT Volleyball was grateful for the introduction. Summers is based in New Zealand and has been involved with volleyball development for many years.

This year, Summers reached out to invite AKTT Volleyball to participate in the Country of Origin Volleyball Series that he manages in Aotearoa during the beginning of July.

“It has been our NGO’s goal for our students to upskill and grow through participation in our AKTT programme, and through volleyball, to experience the next level. We were very grateful to have been invited by James to play in this upcoming indoor series. Every opportunity to learn more is a win, regardless of the match outcome,” Rongo exclaimed.

Rongo shared that AKTT Volleyball has graciously received the endorsement of the Cook Islands Volleyball Federation to carry the Cook Islands banner at the Country of Origin Series, adding “this is an honour the team doesn’t take lightly”.

“Our two men’s teams and one women’s team are very excited to be representing our beautiful country, and I know they will do their best. They are all young and still developing, and our coaching and management team look forward to watching them reach their potential as they mature.”

Around 24 participants including players, management, and supporters will be part of the team travelling to Aotearoa.

Meanwhile, Kōrero o te ‘Ōrau is currently running a number of fundraisers such as car washes, chicken roll and sausage sizzles sales at Primefoods, and working bee events such as pa’i taro weeding to raise funds for their trip. 

For those keen to support their efforts, please reach out to Jackie Rongo at 73560 or email korerooteorau@gmail.com.