Volunteering Canterbury One of the things that continues to make us smile here at Volunteering Canterbury is the interest from young people in volunteering. As we write this, we are putting together a programme that will see approximately 1,000 hours of volunteer work in the community, during one week at the end of November, from one of the city’s high schools. We also continue to speak to groups about volunteering and the contribution it makes to their communities on a day-by-day basis and, again, many of those groups are young people.
These younger people, 18-25 years of age, in particular are where the growth in interest in volunteering is the highest globally. They are our next generation volunteers and it’s so important we consider how we can accommodate them in our volunteer programmes and give them worthwhile experiences now so that they continue through their lifetime to be active citizens! The attached picture is a recent talk to a ‘Midnight Basketball’, an initiative by Whanganui Gators and Canterbury Basketball, which is aimed at empowering youth to gain mana and strength both on and off the court. Glenda Martin Outreach Manager Christchurch Community House
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