Cisco helps connect 8,000 kids in New Zealand with well-being workshops

Technology can offer a platform to enable human connection that can impact people’s lives in a real way. Cisco aims to positively impact one billion lives by 2025, to make a difference.

In New Zealand, 8,000 children connected from schools across the country as Cisco hosted a live ‘virtual’ creative writing workshop on its Webex technology.

The broadcast officially launched the emotional well-being video recently produced in Christchurch with best-selling author and founder of ‘Feel Brave’, Avril McDonald, and the New Zealand Life Education Trust, which Cisco sponsored.

Uniting children to help them feel brave

The aim of the project was to unite New Zealand children in friendship and show the world how to ‘Feel Brave‘ by committing to one dose a day of emotional well-being.

The project launched an official three-month trial that 1,000 New Zealand children are currently engaged in, to share how ‘one dose a day’ positively impacts emotional well-being.

The emotional well-being content is now being shared in schools all over the world and will be available to children on Air New Zealand international flight in-flight entertainment from October, to give children access to tools that help them manage tough emotions and reach their potential.

The Feel Brave video series will be available to children later this year through various children’s broadcast channels and on Air New Zealand international flights via the inflight entertainment system helping to give all children access to tools that help them manage tough emotions and reach their potential.

Dave Wilson (now former Cisco NZ Country Manager) championed the project sponsorship in Christchurch along with Dave Rosenburg and Sandra Jackson from Westcon-Comstor.

For Cisco, enabling children to connect with the content that helps them to feel brave supports its mission to use technology to positively impact communities around the world.

Watch the Workshop and Coverage

View a recording of the live broadcast here: Live broadcast recording of Creative Writing Workshop

View News coverage of the Christchurch Project here: One News Coverage

View a 6 min Vlog of the three day project in Christchurch here Vlog of Christchurch project

Feedback on the broadcast and Cisco Webex Technology

Here’s what some teachers shared about the ‘Feel Brave’ Creative Writing Broadcast using Cisco’s Webex Technology:

“Fantastic! My students have already made a start on their books. Really motivated by this!”

“Four of our five Year 3-4 classes watched your resilience live workshop on Wednesday and the kids were riveted. One of our Year 4 boys, sitting near me, shared his story of the monster he sees with me. It was really good to have that connection with him, and that’s down to you. Thank you!”