Jessica
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background
Wellington has been my home for the past 4 years and I study Communications at Massey here. Having lived in the arts and culture capital of New Zealand, I quite fittingly have discovered my two greatest loves are writing and photography! I feel very strongly about pushing for gender equality, advocating for support surrounding mental health and helping out in one’s own community.
What volunteer opportunities have you been involved in or are you currently involved in?
I have been involved in Annual Street Appeals for various charities such as Red Cross and the Cancer society, am currently volunteering to write for Regenerate Magazine and volunteering as a Brand Ambassador for Collaborate.
Why do you volunteer?
It can provide a chance to slow down and feel connected with people that you otherwise would just walk past on the street. You can not only recognise the beauty of diversity when you engage yourself in your community, but it’s also a chance to feel that we are all the same on a very basic level. It provides a gateway for genuine and real human connection. In this sense, I think it can be a powerful antidote to some of the negative thought processes that can arise with poor mental health. Volunteering also empowers the small things that you can do for others and brings out a kindness and empathy that can have a ripple effect within your community.
Who is your biggest hero or inspiration?
I am inspired by small moments of selflessness and compassion, seeing people who don’t know each other go out of their way to help one another even in the simplest of ways, even if it’s just giving one another a smile on the street, someone paying for someone else’s bus fare, a meaningful thank you. In my eyes, I see that small changes and everyday acts can have the greatest power.
“Volunteering also empowers the small things that you can do for others and brings out a kindness and empathy that can have a ripple effect within your community.”
What is your mantra or what is the most important value you live by?
Treat everyone with kindness and respect.
What do you love about Collaborate?
I love how it has this unique power to connect people and a community through technology. I think the team at Collaborate have tapped in to a really innovative way of connecting people that want to volunteer. It’s a great way to expose volunteering opportunities to people that otherwise might not have even realised were out there. The way we move now is primarily through our screens so I think it utilises a platform where millennials can actually be using technology to generate some good. I really respect that Collaborate is a team that is values based, with values like everyone has a skill that can make a difference and community is at the heart of everything. Those values really resonate with me.