Volunteering is learnt young

Student Volunteer Week is a national campaign that champions students who are making change in their communities. There are thousands of high school and tertiary level students who give, grow, and connect through volunteering. One of these students is Dremayer Ah Yek Strickson-Pua.

“I think in Pasifika families, helping out where you can is something that’s taught from a young age, so me choosing to volunteer is the result of that,”

Dremayer says. “Seeing other people going through tough times and relating to that on some level motivates me to want to do as much as I can to help.”

Dremayer is a Year 12 student at Mount Roskill Grammar School, and at just 16 years old, she is volunteering in multiple different ways. These include helping with food parcels, mentoring school students, and volunteering in a cafe.

By giving to a community or cause, student volunteers can gain knowledge, experience and create change within their communities.

“I’d like to think that I’m making a positive impact on the community and the people I get to connect with whilst volunteering,” says Dremayer. She also enjoys being a person that people can come to for help, knowing that a lot of the people that she helps do not have anyone like that.

“When I’m helping with food parcels, it makes it easier for the people I’m helping to get food to their families. It’s one less thing for people to worry about. When I’m mentoring, I’m talking to younger kids and figuring what I can help them with. This can range from anything going on at home, to their schoolwork.”

Dremayer highly recommends that students get involved in volunteering. “Helping out where you can, really makes a difference.”

Story written by James Ball, AUT [Bachelor of Communications - Journalism]