Youth Volunteering Term 3

The start of Term 3 has been all about local youth making a difference to their community with lots of volunteering!

Our weekly volunteering session in Botany Library has become popular. It started as a way for young volunteers to gain their service for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, it has grown to include students who are just keen to volunteer to help their community.

Each week we work with the students after school for an hour completing different activities which help or brighten the days of community members.

This week the students fused chips packets together and decorated the foil with positive messages- these strips will be given to the Chip Packet Project NZ to be made into blankets for people in need.

The students decided they wanted to make care parcels for locals in need- they focused on toiletry items as they are expensive but also essential. They made posters and advertised on our social media. We were very grateful that three local sites agreed to have a collection point- New World Howick, Howick Library and Botany Library.

The collection has now finished and we are all amazed at the generosity of the community- thank you!

All these items were donated from our community to help others- thank you!

The students made several items to be included in the parcels as little extras.

Flower bouquets and pillow boxes with a pocket hug

Kindness cards- with a positive message inside

Each student created art to put onto a candle

Over the next few weeks the young volunteers will decorate the boxes and fill them with the donated items. These boxes will be given to All Saints Church in Howick to give to people in need.

We would like to thank Kip McGrath Pakuranga for sponsoring the youth volunteering sessions.

Botany Downs Secondary College has a new Volunteering Club which has been set up by two students and currently has over 200 members! They asked us if we could help them run an event during 3 lunchtimes at the school. Of course we said yes as we want to encourage all youth to volunteer.

We decided to make drink coasters with the students, over 3 lunchtimes they made over 120 coasters.

The coasters were given to residents at Dannemora Gardens.

Finally as always our amazing Youth Board is busy planning the next fun event for the community.

They are organising a Walk for Fun event during the next school holidays, encouraging everyone to get outside and enjoy the fresh air while having fun. There will be a sausage sizzle(this will be a fundraiser), face painting, activity stations around the walk- complete then all to get a lollie bag and certificate.

They are a great group of enthusiastic youth who volunteer many hours to help our community.

Next week we are back in Primary Schools for more Kindness in the Community Activities- as well as youth volunteering and a Youth Board meeting!