Woohoo! 2009 and my World of Difference year sure had an energetic start.
The first week back from holidays kicked off with an Arts Activism programme, where a group of young people spent five days imagining, designing and creating a public piece of art for the Ravensbourne Harbour Cycleway. Now everyone using the space can enjoy their creativity (just in time for BikeWise Month)!
There was barely enough time to wash off the paint before the Volunteer taster course began. This is a full-on, non-stop school holiday programme where a group of almost 20 teenagers ‘tasted’ a variety of different types of volunteering. Amongst the mix was a radio show on Toroa FM, a working bee at Women’s Refuge, gardening goodness at the Port Chalmers Patch and an evening grooving to some tunes with IHC Disability Services . The aim of the programme is to broaden perceptions of what volunteering is & to encourage young people to get active in their community… & it’s already been successful! Four of the teenagers from our last course are now engaged in long-term voluntary positions!
We’ve also been lucky enough to host a screening of the documentary “Invisible Children” which looks at how a long-running civil war has changed the lives of Ugandans.The non-profit group runs some great high school activism projects & it’s been a priveledge to share ideas.
In the evenings I’ve been working alongside Trade Aid and a really enthusiastic crew of young volunteers to create a mural promoting Fair Trade. We’re currently going through the design process, the ideas are flying &the final product is sure to be a jaw-dropper We’ll have paint-on-brush next week, so stay tuned for photos!
Our very own in-school programme begins in three high schools next week. The programme itself will offer students supported volunteering and social activism opportunities. It’s a big experiment for us and I’m looking forward to seeing what projects and ideas the groups create. We’re delighted to have Jackie Hunter from the University of Otago designing questionnaires to evaluate the programmes efficacy and make sure we stay on track.
Finally, we’re redesigning our website to make it more user-friendly, especially from a youth perspective. Hopefully we’ll be able to launch it in time for my next update!