Hello, my name is Yui Omori and during the July holidays, Mami Nakamura and I joined a new Plunket programme called the Plunket GPS (Giving People Support) Youth Action Team.

We had our first training and team building session on 7 July 2020 with girls from other high schools. We felt nervous on our first day but Joy Sylvia, Plunket’s GPS Coordinator, and the other girls were so kind and made us feel welcome.

After our training session, I felt excited about what we would be doing next! We volunteered by helping run a morning drop in and story time, helped host a morning tea for Plunket volunteers and clients, and we helped run a coffee morning for parents with craft and action games for preschool children.

The Youth Action Team met after school in the first week of term to talk about “where-to-now” and our plan for the rest of the year.

Mami and I enjoyed making new friends, learning about an iconic New Zealand service, improving our English and helping in our community.

Thank you, Joy and Plunket, for offering us this opportunity to volunteer with you. I can’t wait to help next holidays!