First created after the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 in New Zealand, Te Rito Toi is a programme – an approach – designed for children when they first return to school following major traumatic or life changing events.
It is based around the concept of providing research-informed practical classroom activities and lesson plans to help children better understand their changed world and to begin to see themselves as being part of the promise of new and better futures. Te Rito Toi seeks to imbue the return to school with the joy, possibility and beauty of the arts to re-engage students with the wonder of learning.
Te Rito Toi is based on understanding that the arts are uniquely placed to lead a return to productive learning when schools reopen. The programme has been used around the world to great effect and proved to also be incredibly useful and powerful during and after the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.