Staff who volunteer: Bringing who we are into the workplace

2018 Volunteer Expo

Later this month, the Career Development team is hosting a Volunteer Expo in Te Puna 0n 29 August 2018.

Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community and for our students to get valuable work experience on their CV before leaving Unitec, plus new skills and networking opportunities!

All staff are welcome to come along and explore if volunteering is something they’d like to get involved in.

Offering your time as a volunteer can help create new networks, experience a different area of business and be inspired by others. Many of our staff volunteer so we’ll be sharing their stories on the Nest, starting with Andrea Thumath.

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Find out more…If you’d like to find out more about volunteering, come along to the Volunteer Expo on 29 August 2018 where St John is one of the exhibitors.

Please encourage your students to come along or talk with Deborah Crossan or Dianna Bluck to find out more.

Andrea Thumath talks about her volunteering experience and why it’s an important part of her life

Andrea is the Manager of our Unitec Pathways College and volunteers as she enjoys giving back to her community and working with young peoples. She believes we bring who we are outside of work into the workplace, and says if that’s about giving to her community and staying connected, then that’s what’s important.

Who do you volunteer for?

St John – Ambulance and healthcare services

What does volunteering for St John involve?

I’m currently a volunteer with the Youth Programme which I’ve been involved with it since I was 9, starting as a cadet. I also volunteered in the Clinical space from when I was around 15 up until about 3 years ago when work, study and multiple volunteer roles became a little bit much. Through the Youth programme I’ve travelled all over New Zealand.

When I looked after the St John Orakei Marae Youth Division (the first marae based youth division in New Zealand), I travelled regularly to Waiheke and Great Barrier Island, so I got very used to very small planes, including a trip on the Coast Guard 4-seater once, when I had to be evacuated off Barrier to a storm that was going to cut off island access off!

The St John New Zealand contingent team Andrea took to Hong Kong for the International Cadet Competitions and Camp

I was also privileged to have held the role as the St John New Zealand Contingent Manager for the International Cadet Competitions and Camp in Hong Kong in 2015. I led 55 of us on this amazing 12-day experience where our young people and leaders spent time with St John Youth members from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Wales, Canada, England, Australia, South Africa and Singapore. Some of our group hadn’t left New Zealand  before(or their own island) so it was incredible to see them impact it had on them, particularly experiencing the diversity of culture.

As a Clinical volunteer I got to ‘look after’ people at some major events, mingling with and ‘hosting’ some very high profile entertainment and sports people. I also volunteered at Eden Park where I used to look after Players Medical, so as you can imagine I saw and treated some fairly insane injuries. I also volunteered at every 2011 Rugby World Cup Game –another incredible opportunity!

I still go on as many camps as I can and am currently the Project Lead for the development of our Youth Development Philosophy where I will be working with our Youth Advisory Panel and National Youth Management Team.

What inspired you to volunteer?

When I turned 18 I decided I wanted to ‘give back’ like the youth leaders that worked with me as a St John Cadet. This gave me some pretty cool travel experiences as a young adult that I wouldn’t have been able to afford, and initially within my own West Auckland community. We always had mum and dad’s support as they were keen to see their three daughters involved in the community and to keep us busy from a young age, in the same way as their parents did – both were Scout leaders which is where they met!

How do you manage to balance your commitment to St John alongside everyday life and Unitec?

I pick and choose what I do so I can but maintain some balance. I firmly believe we bring who we are outside of work into the workplace, and if that’s me giving to my community and staying connected then I think that is important – especially in the area I work here at Unitec. For me it’s really important to stay grounded and connected to my roots and to the young people in my community – it definitely helps me in my day job! I’m also a strong encourager of my team being able to bring their whole selves to work and really proud of what a number of them do in their own communities outside of Unitec.

What’s the key thing you get out of volunteering?

Giving back to my community and working with young people. It has also professionally played a really key part in shaping who I am in the workplace. With St John being a charity, there are limited people in paid roles to support you as it’s an organisation built on volunteers across a very broad spectrum of activities that it provides our communities with.

When you are given a portfolio to manage, you do it all, so from 18 onwards I was getting management experience, event planning opportunities (including organising camps and activities for up to 500 young people and leaders), in some instances literally holding people’s lives in my hands, you name it I got it. You get trusted with the responsibility to get the job done and look after the people around you – which is pretty much how I try to roll on a daily basis regardless of what I’m doing.