Between volleyball, dance, touch rugby, and volunteering, Pāpāmoa 11-year-old Bella Bowman barely has time for TV on her one day off a week.

Her schedule has been jam-packed since four weeks ago when she started coaching a touch rugby team of Pāpāmoa primary Year 1-2 students at her old school.

The part-time gig is a generous act considering the Year 7 Pāpāmoa College student has no siblings or connections left at the primary school.

Pāpāmoa College schoolmate Franklin Matthews joins Bowman in coaching the little tackers sometimes.

Bowman said she wanted “to give back to my old primary school and help out”.

“It feels a little weird [to return],” she said.

But Bowman does know some of the students, so enjoys having fun with them while coaching.

Some of the players don’t listen well and don’t know the rules, Bowman said.

“They listen to me... sometimes.”

She said they’ve helped her develop her teamwork and leadership skills.

Bella Bowman, 11, has a knack for volunteering. Photo / David Hall

Bowman focuses on teaching them how to pass. She instructs the players to stay in a line with their team while they run.

For the first couple of weeks, she also taught them how to roll the ball between their legs.

Her coaching philosophy is: “Don’t be too harsh on the kids, but don’t be too loose either”.

“Focus on helping them learn the game and tell them to have fun.”

Bowman coaches the team Thursday nights before their game – which she also referees – and before she has dance practice.

She’s a busy girl; Monday is her only evening off.

On Tuesdays she has her own touch rugby game before dance. Wednesdays she has dance; and Fridays she volunteers at her school’s breakfast club and has volleyball after school.

Bowman’s weekends are also packed. She either volunteers at the weekly Gordon Spratt Reserve park run on Saturdays or at the Lions Club food truck.

Her inclination to help others extends to her career ambitions, with her goal of becoming a paramedic.

Parents Mandy and Michael Bowman said: “We think it’s amazing what she’s doing, always wanting to get involved with everything she possibly can”.

“We’re so proud of her.”

Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.