Recent from talks
Student Volunteer Army
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Student Volunteer Army
The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is a New Zealand student movement born from a Facebook page started following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The network has no military affiliation and is focused on facilitating community action through youth engagement, preparing for disasters, and service. The clubs and volunteers are supported by the Volunteer Army Foundation (VAF).
Whilst the movement grew to address community needs in the recovery period following the Christchurch earthquakes, the SVA has never been a solely disaster response focused organisation. The movement operates under an aim to make volunteering and service an intrinsic part of the student experience, and show all New Zealanders the power they have to drive the change they wish to see in their communities. It is this ethos that has allowed the movement to persist beyond the immediate earthquake response. The evidence of this ethos can be seen in the club culture of the UC Student Volunteer Army, and in initiatives such as the SVA School Kit and the Serve for New Zealand campaign.
Since its inception in response to the earthquakes, the club has maintained a strong presence at the University of Canterbury. The club is the largest student society on campus, with over 3000 members, led by an executive committee of 30 students. The club is supported primarily by The University of Canterbury and City Care. The club's efforts in the years since the earthquakes have refocused from providing disaster relief responses, to be more focused on community upkeep and engagement. However, disaster response has still been maintained in the club's skill set, with important roles being played by the SVA in response and in the aftermaths of such major events as the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, 2017 Port Hills fires, Christchurch mosque shootings as well as various floods.
The club currently runs a range of events on a yearly schedule. Amongst these are small-scale 'platoon projects' run every weekend targeted at making small but high impact volunteering contributions to those in need, the UCan Schools programme aimed at mentoring local high school students, giving them an insight to the SVA with the hopes they will uptake the ethos and values of the SVA in their own communities. Larger events include 'Connect the Community' intended to bring a large numbers of students into a residential area for a day to work with the local community, as well as two camps taking place in communities outside of the Christchurch area intended to give a wider view of the country to its members, do beneficial work as well as a providing a social experience for volunteers.
The club's largest annual event is The Big Give. This initiative started in 2017 and is targeted primarily at students new to the university and the city, with the goal to provide a fun, fulfillling, and beneficial volunteering experience reflective of the club's ethos. Students who have taken part in the event have typically done manual labour tasks and received a T-shirt, lunch and a concert for their efforts. The event has continually been the club's largest hosted event since the initial earthquakes.
The inaugural Big Event was hosted in the Southshore Spit Reserve, in Southshore. Approximately 800 university students attended the event, where they worked to rebuild over 2 km of track around the reserve, remove an earthquake damaged seawall from the estuary, conduct invasive species control and restore 8 beach accessways in the wider community. The SVA also installed a picnic table at the site, and handprints from the event can still be seen in the concrete plinth surrounding the table. Entertainment was provided by Mako Road, a local university band.
The inaugural event proved the feasibility and benefit to community and students of the Big Give, and prompted the SVA to add the event to their annual calendar.
The founders and key committee members from the February earthquake response team have since founded the non-profit Student Volunteer Army Foundation, previously known as the Volunteer Army Foundation (VAF). The foundation oversees, licenses, and trains all SVA chapters and shares, promotes and supports those interested in creating their own volunteer movement.
Hub AI
Student Volunteer Army AI simulator
(@Student Volunteer Army_simulator)
Student Volunteer Army
The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is a New Zealand student movement born from a Facebook page started following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The network has no military affiliation and is focused on facilitating community action through youth engagement, preparing for disasters, and service. The clubs and volunteers are supported by the Volunteer Army Foundation (VAF).
Whilst the movement grew to address community needs in the recovery period following the Christchurch earthquakes, the SVA has never been a solely disaster response focused organisation. The movement operates under an aim to make volunteering and service an intrinsic part of the student experience, and show all New Zealanders the power they have to drive the change they wish to see in their communities. It is this ethos that has allowed the movement to persist beyond the immediate earthquake response. The evidence of this ethos can be seen in the club culture of the UC Student Volunteer Army, and in initiatives such as the SVA School Kit and the Serve for New Zealand campaign.
Since its inception in response to the earthquakes, the club has maintained a strong presence at the University of Canterbury. The club is the largest student society on campus, with over 3000 members, led by an executive committee of 30 students. The club is supported primarily by The University of Canterbury and City Care. The club's efforts in the years since the earthquakes have refocused from providing disaster relief responses, to be more focused on community upkeep and engagement. However, disaster response has still been maintained in the club's skill set, with important roles being played by the SVA in response and in the aftermaths of such major events as the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, 2017 Port Hills fires, Christchurch mosque shootings as well as various floods.
The club currently runs a range of events on a yearly schedule. Amongst these are small-scale 'platoon projects' run every weekend targeted at making small but high impact volunteering contributions to those in need, the UCan Schools programme aimed at mentoring local high school students, giving them an insight to the SVA with the hopes they will uptake the ethos and values of the SVA in their own communities. Larger events include 'Connect the Community' intended to bring a large numbers of students into a residential area for a day to work with the local community, as well as two camps taking place in communities outside of the Christchurch area intended to give a wider view of the country to its members, do beneficial work as well as a providing a social experience for volunteers.
The club's largest annual event is The Big Give. This initiative started in 2017 and is targeted primarily at students new to the university and the city, with the goal to provide a fun, fulfillling, and beneficial volunteering experience reflective of the club's ethos. Students who have taken part in the event have typically done manual labour tasks and received a T-shirt, lunch and a concert for their efforts. The event has continually been the club's largest hosted event since the initial earthquakes.
The inaugural Big Event was hosted in the Southshore Spit Reserve, in Southshore. Approximately 800 university students attended the event, where they worked to rebuild over 2 km of track around the reserve, remove an earthquake damaged seawall from the estuary, conduct invasive species control and restore 8 beach accessways in the wider community. The SVA also installed a picnic table at the site, and handprints from the event can still be seen in the concrete plinth surrounding the table. Entertainment was provided by Mako Road, a local university band.
The inaugural event proved the feasibility and benefit to community and students of the Big Give, and prompted the SVA to add the event to their annual calendar.
The founders and key committee members from the February earthquake response team have since founded the non-profit Student Volunteer Army Foundation, previously known as the Volunteer Army Foundation (VAF). The foundation oversees, licenses, and trains all SVA chapters and shares, promotes and supports those interested in creating their own volunteer movement.
Recent media