1432 days ago

Celebrating local leaders

Hannah Cunningham from Volunteer Marlborough

Today is International Volunteer Managers Day! This day is celebrated annually on 5th November by Volunteer Marlborough, the other volunteer centres around the country, and Volunteering New Zealand. This year marks the 21st year that IVMDay has been celebrated internationally.⁠

The theme this year is "What's Next?" which will allow us to focus on what volunteer management will look like in a post Covid-19 world.⁠
New Zealanders are encouraged to reflect on this as we celebrate the importance of management of volunteers. It is a challenge to us all to consider: ⁠
- How we think volunteer leadership is positioned⁠
- How new volunteering roles might look⁠
- The challenges of returning to volunteering during Covid-19 recovery⁠
- How we look at our own well-being in order to be better leaders⁠

International Volunteer Managers Day is an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the work of managers and leaders of volunteers. Their ability to lead, motivate, and organise volunteers to make a difference in communities across the globe is inspiring.⁠

While volunteering can be described as the backbone of society, the efforts of volunteers would not happen as efficiently and effectively as they do if it wasn't for the volunteer managers who lead them. They support volunteers by finding and fulfilling their passion across countless organisations each year.⁠

This is a day not only to celebrate their successes, but to set goals for the future - building productive teams where people with responsibility for volunteering have a key strategic voice. A strong dynamic volunteer programme needs a well-supported manager and the engagement of the whole organisation.⁠

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More messages from your neighbours
4 hours ago

Can you crack Today’s neighbourhood conundrum?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Without a bridle or a saddle, across a thing, I ride a-straddle. And those I ride, by help of me, though almost blind, are made to see. What am I?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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12 days ago

Kalle

The Team from Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi

"Sports and travelling run in the family, and that's kind of what's led me to come to New Zealand."

"I grew up in a small town in Finland. My dad was involved with sports all his life, he was a shot putter, discus thrower, powerlifter, we traveled quite a bit when I was a kid. He never mentioned much of the rugby days. He just said he broke both of his shin bones playing rugby, so he said, ‘never play the sport, It's crazy.’

I started playing when I was 18. I played my first cap for the Finnish national team in 2014, we won the Finnish championship with my club. Rugby is not a big thing in Finland.

I moved here to play rugby in 2017. The club that wanted me to come over was Methven Rugby Club. They got me here and they were like, ‘what do you do for work? I’d just finished chef school in Finland. ‘We'll get you a job at Mount Hutt as a chef, you can do that while you play rugby with us.’ I said, ‘Perfect. Yeah, I'm in’.

I've always loved food. My mum was an amazing cook, and still is. When I was studying tourism I worked in some hotels in Finland, and I saw how the chef's worked. I just loved the kitchen vibe and I was like, Yeah, that’d be something I'd love to do.

I've had more of a culinary journey In New Zealand than in Finland. I started at Mount Hutt, after that I worked at The Dubliner in Methven. I worked as a senior pizza chef at Sal’s for maybe six months then worked as chef de partie at Cellar Door. At Eliza's Manor, I worked myself up to a junior sous chef. Then the opportunity came to work my first head chef job at Moon Under Water.

We're privileged to have a busy atmosphere, we can try new things and get a bit creative. There are no TV’s, just come here with your family or with your mates, play board games, to socialise.

I really want to drive the local food and ingredients through the menu. We don't mind spending more for quality ingredients as long as it's supporting New Zealand businesses. We just love to use local. And it's pub food, but I feel like it's elevated.

I play club rugby here for the Christchurch Football Club, the oldest club in New Zealand and I still play regularly for the Finnish national team, whenever they can fly me over to play."

- Kalle

View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......

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14 days ago

This one was sent in by your fellow neighbour, can you figure it out?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

What is first white then red and the plumper it gets the more the old lady likes it?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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