August 2024 update
From a new SVA Club at the University of Waikato to a crisis response operation in Wairoa, it’s been an eventful few months for SVA! We thought we’d share a few highlights with you here, including the publication of our FY 2023-24 Annual Report and a special thank you message to each and every person who has shown support to SVA in the last year.
Together, we’re building the next generation of community. If you’d like to join us, please consider making a one-off or regular donation to SVA here.
Financial year 2023-24
We’re pleased to share with you the SVA Annual Report for FY2023-24, which is now available to read on our website here.
As we reflect on the successes and challenges of the last year, we’re reminded how invaluable all our supporters are to the SVA journey. All young people have the potential to become extraordinary members of their community. It’s people like you who help unleash their potential.
To see more of what our rangatahi are achieving, take a look at this short thank you video!
Quarter 2 impact
SVA volunteers make an incredible impact on their communities and the world around them.
From April to June 2024, SVA Service Award volunteers contributed 131,668 hours of service to their communities from April to June 2024. 4,389 badges were awarded to volunteers reaching key milestones, including 83 students who received their gold bade for volunteering over 500 hours of service. With the foundation of an SVA Club at the University of Waikato (Hamilton and Tauranga campuses), we now have flourishing clubs across seven tertiary institutions, with students organising community events and preparing for spontaneous volunteer mobilisation in a crisis situation.
Wairoa Crisis Response
In June, flooding in Wairoa affected roughly 118 homes, leaving locals already recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle once again dealing with the damage. The following month, volunteers from University of Canterbury and Auckland SVA Clubs, along with the SVA Foundation Team, visited the region to assist the team of Māori Wardens working to support Wairoa in their recovery. A huge thank you Lee, Ro, Cam and Jaime who gave their time and energy to make this happen - we couldn’t do it without you!
SVA Crisis Response work is made possible thanks to the generosity of Hummingbird Coffee.
Youth Volunteer Week 2024
Held in May each year, Youth Volunteer Week is an opportunity to showcase the incredible mahi our young people put in every day and celebrate the diverse ways in which they choose to contribute to their communities. This year, we held a competition for all our SVA Service Award students to volunteer as many hours as possible during this week.
Collectively, students volunteered 9,000 hours over the week. We are so proud of the difference these students have made in their communities!
Gig Buddies needs volunteers
Funded by Spectrum Care, Gig Buddies Auckland is an initiative aiming to combat social isolation by supporting people with learning disabilities to enjoy their interests, make new friends and connect with their community. Volunteers are matched with an adult with a learning disability to explore shared interests and experience new things by attending live events, participating in activities or just catching up.
Faces of Service
For the past few months, we’ve been collecting stories from our SVA Service Award volunteers, and we’re so very proud and pleased to share stories like Sacha’s with you. Stories that celebrate the many ways young people from diverse backgrounds contribute to their communities - and the many ways volunteering benefits them and those around them. For the full collection, click here.
Sacha Melville
"When I was first introduced to the SVA Service Award, I found it was an exciting opportunity to fill free time and give others my time. It opened a door to a community where I felt happy and excited to volunteer. I looked to the SVA Service Award in the hope it could allow me to become a stronger and more metacognitive person as I worked towards adding hours and receiving pins.
I'm so grateful I can make a difference despite the challenges I may face. A few particular things I did to volunteer included fundraising for organisations like the cancer society, working for a non-profit, youth group, babysitting, and doing school based activities. This volunteering was a type that really did help not just me, but the people around me.
Volunteering has benefited me in so many ways. It has helped me discover what I want to do and what my future purpose in life may be. It showed me how I can learn to think outside the box, respect others, enhance the ideas of myself and elaborate on them. Most of all, volunteering has assisted me in forming friendships in the easiest way. Without these benefits, I wouldn't have learnt simple skills such as cooking, coaching sports, focus and resilience.”
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