Join Our Next Local Workshop – Wellington · Auckland · Christchurch · Tauranga · Hamilton · New Plymouth · Hawkes Bay · Queenstown
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Join Our Next Local Workshop – Wellington · Auckland · Christchurch · Tauranga · Hamilton · New Plymouth · Hawkes Bay · Queenstown •
Give him the tools to back himself.
A hands-on after-school programme giving boys aged 11–14 the practical systems, daily habits, and confidence to unlock their next gear - at school, at home and beyond.
What we do.
TOOLKT is for any 11–14 year old boy – whether they are confident or still working things out.
TOOLKT is an in-person programme that runs for 90 minutes a week over 10 weeks. Boys build 8 Essential Skills – like getting organised, speaking up and solving problems – through hands-on missions, not lectures.
Every session is led by a TOOLKT Coach: a positive male role model who brings structure and energy to the room.
Loved by parents.
“A brilliant experience I would recommend to any parent who wants to give their boy a toolkit for life.”
— Melissa,
Parent of a TOOLKT boy and Psychologist
“This is an amazing programme and has set my rangatahi up for success at secondary school.”
— Joanna,
Parent of a TOOLKT boy
"TOOLKT helps boys build 8 Essential Skills for learning and life, so they’re ready for high school – and whatever comes next."
– Dave & Tony
Co-founders, TOOLKT
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 how good a boy is at spelling or maths – because that’s not what TOOLKT is about.
Boys learn foundational skills like getting organised, starting a project, getting stuff done on time, listening actively, asking great questions and communicating clearly.
It's practical
We teach practical skills that boys can use straight away.
Over the 10 missions, boys will build a simple and powerful “stack” of skills they can use across all their courses and in their daily learning.
Loved by parents.
“I’m loving the underlying theme of these sessions – encouraging our children to take agency, and not just wait for life to happen to them. The first steps towards adulthood.”
— Alison,
Parent of a TOOLKT boy
The Skills Flywheel
The Skills Flywheel represents the 8 Essential Skills to help boys build confidence, capability, and character as they move through the TOOLKT workshop.
Every week for 10 weeks, boys take on a hands-on mission – practical challenges that build one or more of the 8 Essential Skills below.
Getting Organized
Set yourself up to win.
Building Resilience
Bounce back. Keep moving forward.
Collaborating Effectively
1+1=3. Team up, speak up, have each other's backs.
Getting Curious
Ask questions. Chase ideas.
Solving Problems
Think it through. Try new angles.
Practicing with Purpose
Don't just repeat – improve.
Communicating Clearly
Make it stick. Say it so they get it.
Backing Yourself
Stand tall. Take the shot.
Is TOOLKT right for your boy?
TOOLKT is for a wide range of boys. He might already be confident and looking for a new challenge, or he might need a firm nudge to get involved. Like a gym for learning, every boy starts where he is and builds from there – developing practical skills, tackling challenges and growing in confidence.
TOOLKT is a group-based skills programme, not a specialist learning or therapeutic service. It isn’t the right fit for boys who need specialist support to participate successfully.
If you’re unsure whether TOOLKT is right for your boy, please get in touch.
Backed by research. Loved by parents.
“When kids, especially boys, are given practical, real-world learning opportunities, their motivation and understanding can skyrocket.”
— Barbara Oakley,
Author – Learning How to Learn
“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
"You should come and try it out. We had lots of fun solving problems in teams. We even got to make rockets!"
— TOOLKT Participant
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 10 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 10 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 10 x 90 minute module programme.
The cost for the full programme is $750 (that’s $50 per hour).
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1 x 90 minute mission per week for ten 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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Reserve and pay in one step. That confirms your son’s place at TOOLKT.
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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 10 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.
Any other questions?
Can’t find what you’re looking for in our FAQs? Get in touch.
We’ll get back to you ASAP.
