A couple weeks ago marked the last event for the Student Volunteer Army’s (SVA) Otago University branch. Now in its fourth year, the Canterbury Uni-born initiative has taken off quicker than your Christchurch mates can ask each other what school they went to. A 50-strong cohort of students rocked up to the final event of the year at Big Rock Primary School in Brighton. Fence painting and maintenance were the tasks of the day, the seventh such event of the year.
If you’re not in the know, the SVA is a student-led initiative that came about after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. It’s a charitable operation across seven tertiary institutes, with thousands of students involved in the kaupapa. The Otago branch alone has 500 students signed up in the volunteer database. Events run at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, with a focus on volunteering and service.
Otago branch president Paige Bowman told Critic Te Ārohi, “Our Big Rock event went really well and we were able to complete a lot of fantastic work for the school. It was great to be able to offer a range of projects to the volunteers, with our main task being painting the fence at the front of the school.” Paige said the turnout for the day was great and that she was stoked to have been able to properly thank them with a visit from the Frosty J ice cream truck. Oh, yeah.
Paige said that a real highlight this year was being commended on their efforts at the Keep Dunedin Beautiful Awards held in August. With 2025 fast approaching, Paige said, “We are looking forward to working with more organisations outside of the North Dunedin area and increasing our reach around the University. Hopefully we can encourage more students to get involved with the club and venture out of the North Dunedin bubble for a day of volunteering.” With the promise of a sweet treat, no doubt!
The work of the SVA has not gone unnoticed by the student community. Roisin, a second-year from Christchurch, told Critic that she liked “how their efforts have been really valuable to the community, especially in times of crisis like the [Christchurch] earthquakes and pandemic lockdowns, [by] providing a really accessible way for students to get involved and make an impact.”
Head of programmes for SVA, Cat Robertson commented, “From working bees at Club Enliven to clean-ups with Dunedin City Council […] we’re incredibly proud of SVA Otago’s commitment and hard work in promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship this year.”
For students wanting to spice up their usually dusty Saturdays, Paige said, “Students keen to get involved can keep up with us on Instagram (@otago_sva) or Facebook (Otago Student Volunteer Army), or come and visit us on Clubs’ Day!” As a charitable organisation too, the SVA is also reliant on donations. Head over to their website (sva.org.nz) if your StudyLink has just come through to help support their endeavours.