Chch Uni students transform part of Christchurch’s CBD
university-of-canterbury
Tue Oct 01 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Chch Uni students transform part of Christchurch’s CBD
Tuesday, 1 October 2013, 3:35 pm
Press Release: University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury students transform part of Christchurch’s CBD
October 1, 2013
More than 60 University of Canterbury (UC) students transformed a central part of inner city Christchurch at the weekend into four different activities on one site.
Within a 26m by 16m site, four teams designed and built four playgrounds as part of the Student Volunteer Army’s (SVA) major Concept Christchurch project.
They built a snakes and ladders game, a traffic park, a cone chess game and an eco-garden.
SVA president Bridget Williams says 30 teams entered a competition a month ago to produce the best concept designs that could be easily maintained, look great and would not be neglected. The top four designs were put in place at the weekend.
``We obtained the High and Tuam streets corner site through the city’s Life In Vacant Spaces organisation.
``Telogis donated $6000 and Fulton Hogan donated road cones and tar seal. The event was a huge success because the students really felt like they were making a difference.
``The day started with a dirty construction site and, after all the hard work, we walked away from a part of the inner city that was eco and family-friendly. It’s about filling up those empty sites with positivity and ultimately giving hope.
``That’s our mission: to make service a student lifestyle and to empower students to be the change in their community. The students certainly changed the city that day and we are more inspired than ever to keep up the change.
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``This year we have been thinking outside the square when we plan service projects. Our new Platoon recruitment illustrates the different skills students have to offer and we need projects that match their creativity.
``We are already planning next year’s events and have a new committee set up. This year has certainly been full of experiments but has positioned the SVA well to capitalise on our volunteering opportunities for 2014.
``This year was about starting SVA on a track of sustainability and we have certainly achieved that! We can’t wait for next year and are ready to start generating a generous generation.’’
See a Youtube video of the site being built at: http://youtu.be/-Vvf0pt4SnM
Bridget Williams
ENDS
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