Two Christchurch Plunket clinics...

...have been given a spring clean thanks to the help from some of our Year 10 pupils and the University of Canterbury (UC) Student Volunteer Army (SVA).

This term, our pupils, alongside the UC SVA and other Year 10s from local schools, visited the Burnside and Burwood Plunket clinics. Over two mornings the group trimmed bushes, dug out weeds and unwanted trees, painted fences, cleaned the playground equipment, and tidied the grounds.

Rebecca Brundell, Community Coordinator from Plunket commented on how much energy and enthusiasm the group had. “Within two seconds they were in there digging everything up. The places look absolutely amazing. Not only our staff, but our families that visit these clinics will be truly amazed”

At the Burnside clinic the group was also cheered on by local pre-schoolers at the kindergarten next door.

The UCan Year 10 programme encourages local secondary pupils to begin exploring leadership in their communities through volunteering while being mentored by SVA members. Along with getting out and making a difference in the community, the Year 10 pupils also got to learn more about the SVA, how it was founded, and the work it continues to do in the community. The pupils also were tasked with coming up with a project idea that they would like to implement within their own school and community before pitching it to a panel consisting of representatives from the university and SVA.

Middleton was one of two teams who impressed the panel with their own project idea and each member of our Year 10 UCan group was awarded a $25 Hoyts gift voucher by the UC SVA for their plan.

Josh Blackmore, SVA President and one of the judges of the presentations was impressed with what he saw. “The quality of ideas generated in such a short space of time was highly impressive. Teams presented well thought out plans that took advantage of their own skills and networks to address needs they saw in their communities. Those teams that were selected as winners were chosen due to the completeness of their project plans, and the clearly identifiable benefits on the volunteers and the community. We wish the pupils all the best in their mission to implement their project plans, and look forward to hearing how they go.”