Georgia Kerby
My first experience of Rotary was in my last year of Christchurch Girls High School, where a friend and I started an Interact club. Rotaract was a natural progression from this and 2016 will be my fifth year with the Rotaract Club of Dunedin. The experiences that this group has given me alongside my university study are invaluable and have created a lifelong passion for community and international service and the work of Rotary! This project is the most exciting one that I have been involved in as it is on a massive scale, not only in joining Interact, Rotaract and Rotary together, but also in tackling the issue of child slavery. The prevention of child slavery is definitely a change that I want to see in this world and this project is a step in the right direction in developing a safe and sustainable center for the Akha Hill Tribe.
Occupation: Exhibitions Curator |
Michael Ramsay
I was dragged along to a few Rotaract meetings by my girlfriend and kept coming back! What I enjoy most about the club is the tight knit network of like-minded people, who all want to contribute, make things happen and have some fun along the way. I think the Rescue Mission for Children projects really define what it is to be “worldly” – people are people wherever you go. A helping hand to those living in extreme circumstances which we can’t comprehend can go a long way to making a positive difference in their lives and ours and the generations to come.
Occupation: Dentist |
Lauren Hay
My name is Lauren Hay and I live in a small rural area near Invercargill. I grew up there, then coming to Dunedin in year 9 as a boarder at St. Hilda’s. I am now a second year University student studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major of Management and Accounting. I joined Rotaract last year because I enjoy being able to give up my time and do good things for the community. I also enjoy being involved in the club as a chance to meet new people that I may not have met otherwise. I am interested in the Thailand project as I think it is a great opportunity to help those who need it most around the world, and being from such a small community it is pretty cool to be able to impact lives around the world.
Occupation: Student, Commerce |
Lucy Northwood
April 2016 marks my one month anniversary of being involved in Rotaract, and so far, I love it! During the day I study a Masters in Archaeology, and during the evenings I drink copious amounts of tea and help to write this blog. Rotaract is an incredible way to meet new and interesting people, and I'm so grateful for all of the opportunities that my short time as a Rotaractor has granted me. One of these opportunities is Project Starfish, which having had the pleasure of traveling South East Asia in 2014 is now very dear to my heart. I believe that my generation can and will make a positive global impact, and for me, fighting for the end of child sex slavery is a good place to start. I'm excited about this journey and I'm so glad that I can take it with such a wonderful bunch of people.
Occupation: Student, Archaeology |
Samantha Smyrke
I am new to Rotaract this year but I already feel at home with such an awesome group of individuals. I heard about Project Starfish at my first meeting with Rotaract, and it was inspiring to see how passionate people can be about an issue that may not be at the forefront of their lives. Growing up in South Africa, I have been involved in mission trips to aid rural villages and its incredible how much of difference you can make by simply lending a hand. I believe Project Starfish can make a huge difference to the lives of these children, and I am honoured to be a part of the team.
Occupation: Student |
James Heath
I come from the bustling metropolis of Christchurch, and am down here in the Deep South studying Law, Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Chinese. At the start of this year, having heard about Rotary and Rotaract back home, I wandered down to my local Rotaract meeting to see what it was all about and stumbled across a brilliant team of people dedicated to giving back to others. Though new to both Rotaract and Otago, what I lack in experience I make a in passion and drive, and am truly committed to Project Starfish and what this team aims to achieve. As I have grown older my perspective on the world has grown with it and the realities of what some children go through utterly appalls me. I am determined to do something about it, however large or small, and to play my part in building a better world for these children.
Occupation: Student, Law Role: Rotaract Vice President |
Jessica Richards
I am currently in my third year of university, studying an LLB/BA majoring in politics. I have been a member of Rotaract since my first year of university (2014), I joined because of my passion for volunteering and helping others. Throughout my time in Rotaract I have learnt a lot of new skills, met a lot of new people and participated in charitable events such as quiz nights, sausage sizzles and random acts of kindness day. I was first very much inspired by the talks David Black has given in regards to the situation in Thailand with the Akha hill tribe children and I wanted to be a part of something that could help these children and families. Project Starfish would raise awareness on a global scale and I believe this is important if we want anything to change!
Occupation: Student, Law |
Angela Lun
I am from Guangzhou, China and have been in NZ since September 2003. My first volunteering opportunity was to help a school holiday programme in Stardome Observatory and Planetarium. This was the first time I got to experience the joys of working with children and other people in my community. I recently joined the Rotaract club and it is like a door to so many possible volunteering positions. My first impression of the Rotaract club is a fun, passionate and proactive group of people supporting the organisations that they love and the beliefs in which they stand by. This was how I learnt about Project Starfish. Near the end of my first Rotaract meeting, Georgia’s passion convinced me to help fundraise for this project. Project Starfish to me is working towards a shared goal: challenging child slavery issues and providing support for children and their families. I am driven to help fundraise for this group in providing better environments for the people of the future.
Occupation: Student, Law |
Jason Williams
Hi, I’m Jason! 2016 is my first year as part of the Rotaract family, and it’s been a fantastic journey so far. Growing up I was really involved within the community and my school, working with Youth Council, Cancer Society and as Head Boy. While at University, I wrote a paper on the commercialisation of sex tourism and its effects, and it really opened my eyes to how big an issue this really is! Being part of Project Starfish is great as it allows me to give back, while supporting a great bunch of people. We would love your support & would love for you come and check out Rotaract!
Occupation: Manager of Nettl of Dunedin |
Harry Dennis
I first became a member of Rotaract last year after my flatmate Michael asked if I'd like to go to a meeting. I like the friendly environment and having the opportunity to take part in some really cool stuff so I decided to join! After hearing about Project Starfish and what they are doing I knew I wanted to be a part of it. This project is going to making massive differences in people's lives and change people's futures for the better!
Occupation: Electrician |
Anna AtchleyMy name is Anna Atchley, I am 21 years old, studying Law and committed to helping increase awareness for Project Starfish. I joined Rotaract last year because it seemed the perfect place to get involved with the wider Dunedin community and meet some amazing people. I never considered that I would get the opportunity to help out with a project that had such a heavy implication as Project Starfish. The way I see it is that there are a lot of things in the world that could be fixed, therefore contributing to Project Starfish is a way that we can make the world safer for some people.
Occupation: Student, Law |
Rachel KeeHi, my name is Rachel. My involvement with Rotary started back in high school with an Interact Club I started with Georgia, back in the day. I have had little involvement with Rotary since, but hearing about this project from Georgia acted as an impetus for action. Coming from South East Asia myself, Project Starfish struck a few chords. The chilling reality and comparative disparity that the Akha Hill Tribe children exists in is disheartening, and needs to be remedied.
As a global citizen, I think what should define our generation is a quantity of social consciousness; the ability to be aware of problems in our society and community and attempting to alleviate these. Individually we have the ability to impact change, even if it may appear comparatively small. This has engendered some eagerness for action in me. As a student doctor, I hope I can bring some unique skills to this team. The amount of passion that I have been exposed to upon attending these meetings has made me excited and I look forward to the oncoming project. Occupation: Student, Medicine |