Recently, the New Zealand Herald featured Latter-day Saint Paora Winitana, a basketball player who plays for Hawke's Bay and works with the Hawke’s Bay Basketball Leadership Academy for youth. In a video, Winitana shares how his work with youth is geared toward teaching them skills that go beyond the basketball court.
"We were coming towards the end of our careers and we thought, we've got to help," Winitana says, sharing the motivation behind the program. "We've got to give back. It can't be just about basketball."
While he works with youth, Winitana is sure to focus on teaching them six core values: excellence, integrity, passion, leadership, family, and honor.
In addition, Winitana makes a point of teaching the youth how to keep their bodies healthy, including staying away from drugs, alcohol, and other harmful substances.
"Is there going to be challenge and is there going to be adversity?" he asks some of the youth he coaches. "Of course there is. So how do we respond to them? With our standards up high."