The Paris resource, available to all New Zealand primary schools, is part of 'Seeing is Believing' - the Paralympic Education Programme, in partnership with Toyota New Zealand, which aims to change perceptions of disability through the Paralympians, Para-athletes and the Paralympic Movement.

The Paris unit is tailored to the New Zealand curriculum and is designed to be used in the lead up to and during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Teachers will have access to a range of engaging and easy-to-implement activities through the unit, which focuses on the experiences and culture of Paris, while highlighting aspects of the New Zealand Paralympic Team. 

Learners will be able to follow the interactive story of Violet and Charlie, two supporters of the NZ Paralympic Team, who will take learners on a journey of culture through the lens of disability and accessibility. This unit is designed to accompany the existing 'I'mPOSSIBLE' resources and lesson plans. PNZ has taken the 'I'mPOSSIBLE' educational resources from the global Paralympic Movement and adapted them to fit the New Zealand curriculum. 

The second part of the Paris unit will be released a week before the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on 28 August. It will include details of the NZ Paralympic Team and fun activities for schools to do during the Games - such as the NZ Paralympic Team medal tally. 

Kasey Wilson, PNZ Education Lead, said, "The purpose of the Paris-specific resource is to connect learners in the classroom to our NZ Paralympic Team and what they will experience when they go to the Paralympic Games. The resource builds understanding and awareness of travelling with a disability, including accessibility needs. A fun challenge for learners is to compare their local communities with Paris, a city in another part of the world". 

"It's a nice combination of celebrating the Parisian culture - language, attractions and food - that our Paralympians will hear, see and taste, and linking it back to our own New Zealand culture. Students will be able to compare the height of the Eiffel Tower to Auckland's Sky Tower, or how accessible Paris is compared to their own towns and cities in New Zealand," she added 

Danielle Aitchison, Paralympian #211 - who recently competed and set a world record at the Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe - helped create the resource while on a work placement with PNZ. "It was great to be involved in brainstorming the Paris resource and helping to get Kiwi kids excited about being part of the Paralympic Games experience," she said.