On 18 February we were thrilled to once again participate in the Christchurch Culture Galore festival! It was fantastic to see such a huge turnout of locals enjoying the entertainment and food, and soaking up the fabulous range of cultures that make up our city. At our stand, Glenda and Tammy were able to talk to a steady stream of people interested in finding out more about engaging in volunteering, and as always we offered free rock painting for the young and young at heart! #VolunteeringRocks!
This year a group of approximately 100 students arrived to start their tertiary study at the University of Canterbury through the He Tetekura Emerging Leaders programme. He Tetekura students have already exhibited a range of community involvement during high school and the He Tetekura Welcome Wananga Service Expo provided an opportunity to inspire and empower these students to make service leadership and community involvement a priority in their first year of study.
Our annual team planning day took place at Te Ara Ātea this year! We spent several productive hours, beavering away in preparation for 2023 - training workshops, expos, events, campaigns and so much more! And we’re feeling pretty excited about all that is on the horizon 🎉
On 17th and 18th October, some of our team attended the Volunteer Centre Network Association (VCNA) Hui, held at Wellington Zoo. The "Hui at the Zoo-i", as it became affectionately known, was the first face-to-face meeting with our Volunteer Centre colleagues in quite some time! In amongst the fun, there was plenty of getting to business, with teaching and collaboration between representatives from the multiple Volunteer Centres across the country. Thank you to everyone who was involved in organising, and all those who came along and participated. In particular we acknowledge funding from DIA which enabled us to hold this worthwhile two-day event.
On 12 September, we officially moved into our new home in the NEW Christchurch Community House, at 213 Lichfield Street! The building will eventually be owned by Christchurch Community House Trust, ensuring that there will always be a place in the heart of the city from which community organisations can do what they do best - provide a wrap around support for our community. The building will formally be opened later this year; however, we were delighted to welcome Rt Rev Richard Wallace, Anglican Maori Bishop, who blessed the building on Monday morning.