“It was so special and uplifting to see how much our students want to give back and be involved in their community”,
Robyn Cummins from the University of Canterbury commented on the well received Expo of Volunteer Opportunities held on
Campus during last week’s Student Volunteer Week. Twenty-five community-based organisations were on hand to interact
with what they described as ‘extremely engaged students’, many of whom had been online prior to visiting the Expo and
had their questions ready for the representatives. Over 640 students passed through the Expo which ran for three hours
and there was an ‘energy and vitality that was infectious’, commented Dress for Success Executive Manager, Ginny Rhodes.
The Expo was a successful collaboration between Volunteering Canterbury and the University and served as an opportunity
for organisations to interact with a target market. “For many of our member organisations”, Glenda Martin, Volunteering
Canterbury’s Outreach and Marketing Manager said, “there is a real desire to include students in their volunteer
programmes; taking those opportunities to the students is all about making volunteering more accessible.” Support from
the University allowed some of the organisations to bring along some special ‘clients’, including Izzy, a delightful
kitten currently awaiting adoption at Cat Rescue.