Newsflash!! Volunteer Otago have now placed more than 500 volunteers this year!! That’s a 240% increase over last year already! Wow! New Zealanders sure are generous with their time!
The students participating in the school volunteering programme continue to astound me (and everyone else) with the great schemes they’re creating. Projects include the construction of a life-size paper-mache polar bear to raise awareness of climate change, a documentary about being different in Dunedin and the girls at Queens High School are creating an army of soft toys for children at the Women’s refuge. We’ve also had lots of students put their hands up to volunteer with the Blind Foundation and Age Concern, and just today a group took time out for a volunteer stint with the Special Olympics.
Youth week was pretty much the best thing ever – a crew of volunteers from Columba College, Otago Boys High school and John McGlashan gave out about 1000 stickers throughout the week to passers by, spreading the love and encouraging adults to rethink their assumptions about youth. There was also the Greatest Show on Earth, a gig organised by a group of young people to celebrate the diverse talents of their peers. It was a huge success, with ten hours of amazing performances by high school bands, some incredible circus performers and a loud, enthusiastic crowd.
And who could forget the photoshoot with Vodafone Foundation! As a youthworker down in Dunedin I am usually covered in paint, dirt, baking flour and at least three layers of clothing, so it was an odd and interesting experience to clean up, head north and get pampered by make-up artists and hairdressers. Watch out for the promotional campaign that’s set to kick off soon – along with applications for the next World of Difference! Apply! Apply!
There have been some exciting new additions to our team this month. Lora Johnston has come on board to job share with our manager, Susie, while a whole new crew of staff volunteers have put their hands up to work with the youth programme, plus we have a new, zippy red electric scooter to get our youth workers from A to B in a super-environmentally friendly manner! Exciting stuff.
July is going to big, big, big as we cram in two weeks of school holiday programmes and 3 new schools join our SCIP programme – Otago Girls, Kings High School and Kaikorai Valley College. That’s not all though – keep your eyes peeled for some more great events with a youth leadership training course (thanks to the generosity of the other World of Difference recipients! Thanks y’all!), a 12 hour diversity dance marathon, the Greatest Show on Earth part II and a conference trip to Wellington all looming large.
xx
Lani



