Student Volunteer Army

📈🚀 Check out these incredible stats!

We are so proud of our incredible volunteers and the work in their community that each of these numbers represents. Over 130,000 hours of volunteering from SVA Service Award volunteers in three months, 83 young people earning their Gold Pin, 10 events organised and run by SVA University Clubs across the country.

Congratulations to every SVA volunteer on a phenomenal three months. Let's make the next three even better!

Mānawatia a Matariki! Happy Māori New Year! This is a time to get together with your loved ones, share some kai, reflect on those you have lost, and look forward to the year ahead. 🌟 Thank you for all of your incredible support in the past year, and here's to another year of volunteering and making our community the best it it can be.

📸: Fraser Gunn

Update from Hawkes Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management below.

‼️ URGENT UPDATE ‼️
STATE OF EMERGENCY – Haumoana
4:45 AM - 26/06/2024

A State of Emergency has been declared in the Heretaunga Ward in Hastings District due to coastal inundation in Haumoana.

👮Police are knocking on doors asking affected residences to evacuate. Be prepared with a grab bag for you and your pets with enough supplies for the duration of the event.

📲 If you feel you, your family and/or your property are at risk, immediately contact emergency services on 111.

If you’re a student in Year 12 or Year 13 in the Canterbury region, then this is the opportunity for you! 😀

This is your chance to apply for a spot at the UC Student Volunteer Army Community Engagement Weekend. A two day event, where you will get to work alongside the oldest SVA Club in the country and learn how to be an extraordinary leader of volunteers in peace time and in times of crisis. Hosted at the University of Canterbury the hands on experience will take place on the 24th & 25th of August 🗓

Spaces are limited, so if you think you’re keen, head HERE to find out more and to apply: http://bit.ly/3VXwePR

We can’t wait to see you there 💙

Meet Millie, our lovely Programmes & Engagement Coordinator 😍 Millie holds a BA (Hons) in Art History and is currently working towards a Masters in Planning. She's passionate about community engagement, creative directing, public programming and event management. She founded and ran a non-profit art space in Ōtautahi and has recently released a community-focused book that was launched at the NGV in Melbourne! ⭐️

Millie lives in Christchurch and loves being the first point of contact for all our awesome volunteers 💙

More than 400 volunteers from 26 IDEA Services areas are now signed up to serve their communities as part of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) Service Award 👏💙

Great to see this article in the The Valley Profile about the awesome volunteering efforts of students from Waihī College, Thames High School and Hauraki Plains College! A very happy National Volunteer Week to all our wonderful volunteers 💙

Student volunteers make a difference in their communities – The Valley Profile The Waihī College Leos group welcomes new members. Photo: SUPPLIED Student volunteers make a difference in their communities Post author:Davidda Hikatangata Post published:June 17, 2024 Post category:News VOLUNTEER WEEK FEATURE STORYThree high schools in the Thames Valley and Hauraki areas are runn...

"I like volunteering because it gives you a chance to try out new things whilst meeting new people and helping out others in the community."

Our awesome Otago Student Volunteer Army President Paige has been involved with SVA since doing her Service Award in high school! 🤩 She then joined the Otago SVA Exec team as Events Manager once she came to university. She's had a really great time as President, putting on awesome events with the rest of the Exec team.

Paige is studying for doing a double degree in law and politics 🎓🎓

"I love volunteering because of how good it makes me feel after knowing that the community has impacted from my support. I also have enjoyed meeting lots of people from different walks of life." 💙

Ro started volunteering with UC Student Volunteer Army in her first year of uni to attend some fun volunteering events and travel around the South Island. She moved into the exec in the role of Māori/Pasifika lead in 2022, was platoons leader in 2023 and in 2024 took on the role of Club President 👏

Ro is in her third year studying for a Bachelor of Science majoring in Geography and hopes to find a career in policy and planning 🚍 Passionate about creating public and active transport policies for active and healthy lives, she is also the Vice President of the Geography Society, a member of the Young Transport Professionals Group, the Youth and Community Leadership Advisory Group, the Youth Public Transport Reference Group and the Sustainable Transport Reference Group!

SVA is very lucky to have you, Ro! 😃

Meet Kuna, our Head of Operations since 2022 😍 Kuna has a passion for empowering organisations that enable individuals to realise their potential. With a background in both the technology and nonprofit sectors, she brings a unique blend of expertise to the SVA Foundation Team!

Kuna shares her life with her partner and their adorable duo of a cat and dog - Boba and Taro - who are always getting up to some mischief!😺🐶

PRECAUTIONARY EVACUATION: Western Road, Ngongotaha.
Rotorua Lakes Council emergency management is asking residents of Western Road to evacuate.
This is a precautionary measure in case the river rises higher- it is easier and safer for people to leave before a potential flood.
This is not a declared state of emergency, but we are closely monitoring the situation to do whatever is needed to keep people safe.
Teams are door-knocking in the area.
IF YOU ARE ASKED TO EVACUATE: take something warm to wear and essentials (medication, baby food etc). Take your pets.
If possib;le, go to friends and whanau.
Otherwise, move away from the river to a dry, safe location.
Follow Rotorua Lakes Council. we will update here with new information as we can.

This does not mean the river WILL flood, but we don't want to be taking any chances with people's safety.

"I enjoy knowing that the work I do makes a difference to the lives of students, families, and communities. It costs me very little to volunteer my time and experience to these initiatives, but the outcomes are massive for the people I work with."

Meet Zac, the President of our brand new SVA Club at The University of Waikato 😁 When our Programmes team reached out to WSU - Waikato Students' Union earlier this year, Zac put his hand up from the WSU Board to lead the formation of the club - and now heads up branches at both the Hamilton and Tauranga campuses!

Zac is studying towards a few qualifications, including a PhD in Mathematics 🎓 He has a history of volunteering in education, tutoring refugee students in high schools.

We're so excited to support SVA Waikato starting out on their journey, thank you for your mahi, Zac! 💙

IT'S COMPETITION TIME! 🏆

Youth Volunteer Week celebrates young people who are striving to make a change through volunteering, and encourages others to try volunteering 🫶

We’d love for all SVA Service Award students to get out and about in their communities and volunteer 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 as possible during this week, so we’ve set up a friendly competition! 😁

The three schools who volunteer the most hours will receive the 2024 SVA Youth Volunteer Week Award, a visit from us at SVA and their story shared on our social media. The top ten individual volunteers will receive the 2024 SVA Youth Volunteer Week Award, plus a SVA prize pack, and their name and picture in the SVA Newsletter celebrating them ⭐️

So, keep up your regular volunteering, organise a school event or reach out to local community organisations to see how you can help. Whatever volunteering you do from May 20th to May 26th will count towards your chance to win! Good luck!

A huge WELL DONE to our SVA Service Award students across Aotearoa New Zealand. Together, you logged close to 75,000 hours of volunteering in Term 1 ⭐️ Whether you were tree planting, litter picking or working in your local op shop, your contribution has made a real difference in your community and you should be proud! We can't wait to see what you'll achieve this term 😍

📸 SVA Service Award students Chelsea F**t and Loralei Feist from Ōtūmoetai College.

Thank you The Spinoff for this great story and highlighting someof our awesome volunteers😀 We're very proud to partner with AA Insurance to help strengthen the connections that underpin community resilience 💙

How the Student Volunteer Army is helping high schoolers give back The Student Volunteer Army has generated approximately 1.6 million hours of volunteering from secondary school students in just five years.

Meet Georgia, our Head of Programmes & Engagement! 🤩

Georgia studied public health and is passionate about the intersectionalities of health. She previously worked in the disadvantaged youth space before joining SVA last year. She also loves dogs, the outdoors and voluntering - her favourite volunteer activity is companion walking with Age Concern New Zealand 🤗

"I think that volunteering is such an important aspect of community life, getting to create community while giving back." 💙

Meet Eve, our 2024 President of Victoria Student Volunteer Army 😍 This is Eve's third year in SVA Victoria, having joined in first year as a hall rep. She joined to meet likeminded people while getting to see and do things in the wider Wellington area that she wouldn't have the opportunity to do otherwise. She's also a youth representative on the SVA board! Thank you for all your amazing mahi, Eve 🙏

Thank you AA Insurance for inviting some of our new Auckland Student Volunteer Army and Waikato Club Execs to the Give Back Shack at Eden Park for the Super Rugby Pacific game on Saturday! So grateful for the opportunity to recognise and thank our amazing volunteers 💙

Become a Gig Buddies volunteer! *Please note, Gig Buddies matches gig buddies based on a mutual interests and other factors such as age, gender and locality, therefore the pairing process may take some time. Gig Buddies cannot guarantee that you will be matched with a buddy.

Huge congratulations to our UC Student Volunteer Army and Lincoln Student Volunteer Army - SVA - Execs for organising an absolutely awesome Big Give this weekend 🤩 and thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who showed up for their community.

We reckon SVA Canterbury President Ro says it best: "young people are our future... They want to help, they’re there to help, and they know how to.” 💙

Hundreds of students turn out for Big Give volunteer day Hundreds of university students swapped what might just have been their usual Saturday morning lie-in for shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes and paintbrushes to take part in the Student Volunteer Army’s biggest event of the year.

SVA at The University of Waikato is all set up and ready to go, bringing our SVA Clubs total across Aotearoa to 7 😍 A huge welcome to the team to President Zac, Vice-President Eli, the SVA Waikato Exec and all our new volunteers!💙

Introducing another recent addition to the SVA Foundation Team! Joanna Perry started as our Community Impact and Storytelling Specialist towards the end of last year, working in the marketing and fundraising team. Originally from the UK, she has a passion for supporting non-profit organisations. She also loves travelling, snowboarding and dogs 🐕

It's fantastic to see such hardworking individuals and groups recognised for their awesome contribution to recovery after Cyclone Gabrielle!

Thanks to Hummingbird Coffee for their support of SVA's crisis response work 💙

Today is World Day of Social Justice, a day to recognise the need to tackle social justice issues such as poverty, exclusion, gender inequality, unemployment, human rights and social protections 🌎

UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 is all about promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. 🐦

So, how will you contribute to Goal 16 this World Day of Social Justice? Share your opinion with your elected representatives? Promote inclusion and respect towards people of different ethnic origins, religions, gender or sexual orientations? Offer support to organisations actively working towards the goal through anti-violence or human rights work, either with volunteering or fundraising? 💙

Attention Christchurch residents - there is a large fire burning in Port Hills. Please avoid the area and follow all instructions from authorities. For the latest updates, follow Fire and Emergency NZ.

"When the Anniversary Weekend floods happened, West Auckland was one of the worst hit areas. Seeing my childhood streets and the local schools underwater was devastating. I wanted to help but I had no resources, no training, and didn’t know where to start. I found SVA through social media and signed up to the first available volunteer opportunity. I no longer felt helpless."

We couldn't do it without you. Read SVA volunteer Caitlin's story and give the gift of strength this Christmas 💙

Give the gift of strength this Christmas During the Auckland floods recovery, we were only able to send volunteers out safely with donated PPE, and only able to keep operations running because of donations. During those long days when we had a donation come in we would all celebrate - glimpses of joy throughout many harrowing days.