I was fortunate enough to win Apple’s Swift Student Challenge with Little Planets, it is a highly prestigious competition with 350 winners across all student developers around the globe. It is a milestone that reflects both my knowledge in coding and astronomy but also my passion for volunteering.

My interest in volunteering truly began when my hometown, Te Tairāwhiti endured many struggles. My community has been impacted by significant weather events as well as other struggles that have been challenging for the local community and rural areas. This has added fuel to my desire to help people and to serve my community in whatever ways possible. 

As a neurodiverse teenager, getting a bit of experience in customer service through volunteering has been a great learning experience, and it gave me the confidence to pursue a part time job.

“SVA grows you as a person and you become more confident and compassionate to other people and you learn a lot of life skills.”

"Volunteering has been part of my life since age 4 and it’s something that everyone should be engaged in or do at some point in their life, as a way of contributing to their community. I had seen a few other students of my school wearing SVA pins and wondered what they were for. When I learnt the pins were for recognition of volunteering service hours, I got excited and simply registered with SVA."

"I joined the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) in 2022 after seeing it advertised in the school notices. I was eager to find a way to give back to my community, and SVA seemed like the perfect opportunity. Since joining, I’ve dedicated most of my volunteering efforts to helping young people and families, which has been both challenging and fulfilling."

"One of my first memories of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) was in the Christchurch earthquakes, even though I was only 6 at the time. I remember going out on the street with my high vis and my little shovel and bucket, shovelling up silt around the surrounding streets. So for me, it came full circle when I had the opportunity to sign up for SVA and later set up and lead our kura's group.”

A word of advice I would love for anyone wanting to begin their journey of SVA, is never give up! It's all worth it in the end and you learn so many beneficial skills amongst this journey. You will face challenges, but there are always people around you to support you.

Volunteering with SVA is an incredibly rewarding experience. Not only will you have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in your community, but you'll also develop valuable skills, forge lasting friendships, and gain a sense of fulfilment that comes from giving back.

In January 2023, I started a non-profit called KickStartYouth (KSY) which focuses on spreading awareness about the importance of learning self-defence through teaching primary school students karate free of cost.

Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to have people help me through my challenges. This has led me to have a deep passion for my community, valuing Whakawhanaungatanga and Manaakitanga as well the importance of working with Maia and Aroha in my every endeavor.

Volunteering has exposed me to the adult world in a way that’s not too difficult. I’ve got to do lots of things that I really love – like being with dogs. I don’t have any paid work experience, but I can put this volunteer experience on my CV which is going to be useful for me in the future.

I started volunteering from a young age. Being from a smaller community, I’ve always seen the importance of giving back and helping others. In year 9, I began doing my Duke of Edinburgh qualifications.

Volunteering is certainly the most rewarding thing you can do. Knowing that people are getting helped and the support they need. SVA is all about those young people getting started in the community, showing what it is to be a good citizen and showing a bit of community spirit as well.

I found SVA through social media and signed up to the first available volunteer opportunity. I no longer felt helpless.

I’ve been both a volunteer and organiser of several programs with great environmental and social aims, from beach cleanups to helping give out meals to those in need. I was involved in both the grocery delivery service and the vaccine rollout volunteer efforts through COVID.

We’ve seen the impact SVA has made and continues to make, but we need you to step up.