Build Confidence, Capability and Life-Ready Skills.
12 weeks. One in-person session a week. 90 minutes each. Built to help 11-14 year old boys learn better.
Success at high school and beyond depends less on IQ and more on specific learning skills. TOOLKT builds the 8 Essential Skills boys need to thrive.
Does this sound familiar?
Many parents see the same pattern:
A capable boy who struggles with organisation
Homework left until the last minute
Clear potential, but inconsistent follow-through
Avoiding tasks that feel overwhelming
It’s easy to assume the solution is simple: “Try harder.”
But effort isn’t the real issue. It’s about skills.
It’s Not About Effort.
It’s About Skills.
Modern neuroscience shows that the part of the brain responsible for planning, organisation, and self-control is still under construction during adolescence.
So it’s normal for boys to have a gap between what they know… and what they can actually do.
They’re not lacking ability. They’re missing systems.
TOOLKT helps build those systems.
Introducing TOOLKT
A structured series of 90-minute in-person workshops, once a week for 12 weeks, designed to help 11-14 year old boys learn better.
Through practical challenges, mentoring and guided reflection, boys develop the 8 Essential Skills needed to manage school, responsibilities and life with confidence.
The 8 Essential Skills for School and Life
The 8 Essential Skills for School and Life.
These are not personality traits. They are trainable learning skills.
Across 12 sessions, boys develop the following 8 Essential Skills:
Each session (we call them Missions) is led by a TOOLKT coach.
These carefully selected male mentors provide structure, energy and positive role modelling in an environment where boys feel supported to grow.
Designed for 11-14 year boys who:
Avoid tasks that feel overwhelming
Struggle with deadlines
Are capable but disorganised
Need confidence in group settings
Want a strong start to high school
8 skills. 12 weeks. In-person.
The 8 Essential Skills are woven into 12 practical 90-minute missions.
The TOOLKT Matrix below shows how each essential skill is introduced, reinforced, and re-applied across the 12 missions.
Our 90-minute mission formula.
Each 90-minute TOOLKT mission blends two fast-paced, 25-minute activity blocks with warm-ups, team reviews, and hands-on learning designed to keep boys moving, thinking, and mastering practical skills.
What parents say…
“TOOLKT teaches boys on the cusp of high school, some core life and learning skills that sounds so engaging I wish I could have had something like this.”
— Tessa,
Parent of a TOOLKT boy
“He loved being in a group of different ages and abilities and trying to solve real problems.”
— Emma,
Parent of a TOOLKT boy
Why it works.
TOOLKT gets boys moving, thinking, and doing from the very first session - what we call missions. Every mission is delivered in-person and focused on real skills boys can use straight away.
It’s hands on.
No more than 12 boys per programme and highly engaging learning tools means that TOOLKT is very hands on.
Right from the first 5 minutes of Mission One, boys will be on their feet “doing”.
It’s fun and engaging.
Boys learn by doing.
By using active exercises and practical problems, we get boys involved and engaged straight away.
Each 90 minute session is fast-paced and focused on practicing proven learning skills in-person.
It's focused on 8 Essential Skills.
Everyone starts in the same place.
It doesn’t matter what your knowledge of spelling, or maths - because that’s not what we’re learning.
We will be learning foundational skills like: getting organised; how to start a project; how to get stuff done on time, how to listen actively, how to ask great questions, how to use technology better…
It's practical
We teach practical skills that boys can use straight away.
Over the 12 missions, boys will build a simple and powerful “stack” of skills they can use across all their courses and in their daily learning.
Practical Details
What you need to know
12 x 90-minute workshops,
once a week for 12 weeksThursdays 6:30–8:00pm
In-person
Maximum of 12 boys
Strathmore Park Community Centre
108 Strathmore Avenue, Strathmore Park, Wellington 6022
Other locations coming soon
Starts 28 May
$750 for the full 12-week programme
(that’s $42 per hour)
What to bring
Just bring your son and a water bottle – we’ll provide everything else.
Money Back Guarantee
TOOLKT may not be for everyone. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a go.
Try the first two missions, risk-free.
If your boy gives Missions 1 and 2 a go and decides TOOLKT isn’t for him, we’ll give you a full refund before Mission 3 begins.
Special Offer
Introductory Offer
We’re offering 50% off. So instead of $750, you’ll pay $375.
In return, we'd love you to share TOOLKT with 2–3 other parents who’d value it.
Limited Places
Each TOOLKT cohort is intentionally kept small (max 12 boys) to ensure every boy receives meaningful attention and mentorship.
Once places are filled, enrolment closes.
Frequently Asked Questions
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TOOLKT is for 11–14 year olds who identify as boys – from every background.
It’s built for that tricky shift from Primary into early High School, when boys need to step up, set their own standards, and build habits that set them up for success.
We keep it fun, active, and practical, so boys leave with skills they can use right away – and for years to come. -
Because boys often struggle with the transition to high school – not because they’re not capable, but because they’ve never been taught how to learn.
We work in small, all-boy groups because we’ve seen firsthand the difference it makes: fewer distractions, fewer “masks,” more willingness to try, to fail, to speak up.
TOOLKT is built just for boys: practical, hands-on, and designed to help them build confidence, ask better questions, and work through hard things.
As author Richard Reeves says, “Gender equality is not a zero sum game.” We can support boys without taking away from girls. TOOLKT is part of that support.
Read more in our ‘Why Boys Only?’ Blog. -
TOOLKT is a hands-on 12 session workshop designed to help 11–14 year old boys build learning skills.
Each session (what we call a Mission) is specifically designed to introduce, reinforce, and re-apply 8 Essential Skills. By the end of the 12 missions, boys walk away with a TOOLKT – a set of real-world skills they’ll use in high school and beyond.TOOLKT makes it fun, interactive, and focused on real skills (like getting organised; breaking projects down, how to get started, overcoming fear of failure - and more).
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TOOLKT is designed as an integrated 12 x 90 minute module programme.
The cost for the full programme is $750 (that’s $42 per hour).
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1 x 90 minute mission per week for twelve weeks. Start times vary depending on your cohort.
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Short answer: Yes.
Each mission covers new material and builds on prior missions.
But we know “life happens”, so a boy may miss 1 or maybe 2 missions and still get the full benefit. But miss any more than that and it will make TOOLKT less effective.
So you need to prioritise attending the full workshop at the start.
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Each week there will be a practical take home task which will require 10-15 minutes practice - but its not traditional homework.
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Themselves. Ready and willing to try something fun.
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Because we strictly limit each TOOLKT to a maximum of 12 boys, we want to avoid people pulling out at the last minute - so please think carefully before you commit.
That said, if your boy attends the first two sessions and decides its just not for them, then we will fully refund all of your investment anytime up to the start of Mission 3.
After Mission 3, sorry, there are no refunds.
Please note: Once your boy is confirmed and paid for, non-attendance will not be grounds for a refund.
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Once your boy’s slot is confirmed, payment needs to be made 7 days before the first Mission.
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We cannot guarantee success. Just like a gym can’t guarantee you’ll get fit.
If your boy is committed to attending every mission, and comes ready to learn, we can guarantee they will take away a set of powerful yet simple learning skills for their future.
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We aim to have 2-3 sponsored spots on each TOOLKT workshop. We are still working out how that will work. Email us (use the Any Other Questions section below) and we will let you know as soon as we have a process for allocating the no-cost spots.
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Yes.
We believe that having a blend of ages and experiences helps Learners learn - together and from each other.
A lot of the learning is in pairs and teams. “Collaborating Effectively” is one of the 8 Essential Skills TOOLKT aims to develop.
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No.
TOOLKT is fully independent.
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We are a new workshop programme with no ties to traditional education institutions.
The TOOLKT workshop is built on globally recognised, evidence-based learning strategies.
Each of the 12 missions draws from best-practice approaches used by leading educators, cognitive scientists, and youth development programs worldwide.
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Every session is led by a TOOLKT Coach – a carefully selected and vetted male mentor trained in our specialist approach to how boys learn best.
They’re positive role models who bring structure, energy, and real-world relevance to each session.
Through connection, accountability and a growth-focused mindset, TOOLKT helps boys develop the confidence and skills to thrive at high school – and beyond. -
These are make-or-break years. It’s when boys move from primary to high school, from kids to teens – a time when confidence can dip and school can start to feel like hard work.
Research shows these middle years are crucial for shaping long-term learning, wellbeing, and engagement. TOOLKT steps in right here, building the skills and mindset boys need to stay connected, capable, and confident.
Next Wellington TOOLKT Workshop – May 28 | Limited Spaces Available
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Any other questions?
If you have a question that isn’t covered in our FAQ, ask us here.
We will get back to you ASAP.

