Tomorrow's leaders act today. They influence their surroundings at every level and in every sphere. Social justice requires that we get involved in our communities and true leadership requires that we serve our communities. There are many ways to get involved; you do not have to look far.
The free exchange of ideas is vital to democracy. It is also an integral part of a healthy university. It's time you put your two cents worth into the mix.
If you have strong opinions about current and world events, politics and university affairs, are good with words or can turn a joke or two, why not consider running for the position of editor of your student magazine?
If that sounds a little daunting, you could write opinion articles and submit these to the editor for publication. Most editors welcome contributions from students as they work on a limited budget.
If you have the gift of the gab and don't mind speaking your mind, why not volunteer for your student radio station? Sooner or later, you could find yourself behind the microphone.
There are multiple organisations in your community providing help and supporting those in need. They include soup kitchens, church youth programmes, local food banks, Community Law Centres, Plunket, World Vision, foster care agencies and many more. They provide pathways for you to serve your community.
The following political parties represented in Parliament each have a youth division which you can easily link to:
Labour
www.younglabour.org.nz
National
www.youngnats.org.nz
Green
www.greens.org.nz/about/youth
United Future
www.unitedfuture.org.nz/youth
For contact details of other political parties, please visit: www.nzvotes.org
If you are interested in politics, or think you might be, and want to make a difference on your campus, student politics is a great place to start! Student associations generally hold their elections every October for the following year.
Click on the link below for your University's Students' Association to find out how you can get involved and make a difference.
| New Zealand University Students' Association (NZUSA) www.students.org.nz | |
| Auckland University of Technology (AUT) www.ausm.org.nz | |
| Auckland University www.ausa.auckland.ac.nz | Victoria University www.vuwsa.org.nz |
| Waikato University www.wsu.org.nz | Massey University www.musa.org.nz |
| Canterbury University www.ucsa.org.nz | Lincoln University www.lusa.org.nz |
| Otago University www.ousa.org.nz | |
