Workers digging to fix infrastructure, visible out the window of the Student Volunteer Army's bus.
A photograph of architecture students working on part of the eLITE installation for LUXCITY.
A photograph of architecture students working on part of the eLITE installation for LUXCITY.
UCSA President Nick McDonnell speaks at an event to thank the Student Volunteer Army.
A photograph of architecture students posing for a group photo beneath the LUXCITY installation Kloud.
Trees being cut down on the bank of the Avon, near the Student Health Centre.
Mayor Bob Parker signs a shovel at an event to thank the Student Volunteer Army.
A photograph of architecture students working on part of the eLITE installation for LUXCITY.
This paper reports on a service-learning public journalism project in which postgraduate journalism students explore ways to engage with and report on diverse communities. Media scholars have argued that news media, and local newspapers in particular, must re-engage with their communities. Likewise, journalism studies scholars have urged educators to give journalism students greater opportunities to reflect on their work by getting out among journalism’s critics, often consumers or citizens concerned about content and the preparation of future journalists. The challenge for journalism educators is to prepare students for working in partnership with communities while also developing their ability to operate reflectively and critically within the expectations of the news media industry and wider society. The aim of this project has been to help students find ways to both listen and lead in a community, and also reflect on the challenges and critiques of community journalism practices. The project began in 2013 with stories about residents’ recovery following the devastating 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, and aimed to create stories that could contribute to community connection and engagement, and thereby resilience and recovery. The idea was inspired by research about post-disaster renewal that indicated that communities with strong social capital and social networks were more resilient and recovered more quickly and strongly. The project’s longer-term aim has been to explore community journalism practices that give greater power to citizens and communities by prioritising listening and processes of engagement. Over several months, students network with a community group to identify subjects with whom they will co-create a story, and then complete a story on which they must seek the feedback of their subject. Community leaders have described the project as a key example of how to do things “with people not to people”, and an outstanding contribution to the community-led component of Canterbury’s recovery. Analysis of student reflections, which are a key part of each year’s project, reveals the process of engaging with communities has helped students to map community dynamics, think more critically about source relationships, editorial choices and objectivity norms, and to develop a perspective on the diverse ways they can go about their journalism in the future. Each year, students partner with different groups and organisations, addressing different themes each time the project runs. For 2016, the programme proposes to develop the project in a new way, by not just exploring a community’s stories but also exploring its media needs and it aims to work with Christchurch’s new migrant Filipino community to develop the groundwork for a community media and/or communication platform, which Filipino community leaders say is a pressing need. For this iteration, journalism students will be set further research tasks aimed at deepening their ‘public listening’: they will conduct a survey of community members’ media use and needs as well as qualitative research interviews. It is hoped that the data collected will strengthen students’ understanding of their own journalism practice, as well as form the basis for work on developing media tools for minority groups who are generally poorly represented in mainstream media. In 2015, the journalism programme surveyed its community partners and held follow-up interviews with 13 of 18 story subjects to elicit further feedback on its news content and thereby deepen understanding of different community viewpoints. The survey and interview data revealed the project affected story subjects in a number of positive and interesting ways. Subjects said they appreciated the way student reporters took their time to build relationships and understand the context of the community groups with which they were involved, and contrasted this with their experience of professional journalists who had held pre-conceived assumptions about stories and/or rushed into interviews. As a direct consequence of the students’ approach, participants said they better trusted the student journalists to portray them accurately and fairly. Most were also encouraged by the positive recognition stories brought and several said the engagement process had helped their personal development, all of which had spin-offs for their community efforts. The presentation night that wraps up each year’s project, where community groups, story subjects and students come together to network and share the final stories, was cited as a significant positive aspect of the project and a great opportunity for community partners to connect with others doing similar work. Community feedback will be sought in future projects to inform and improve successive iterations.
A video of an interview with Alexandra Harteveld-Turnball, a Year 13 student from Marian College, about her school project making jewellery from earthquake rubble. Harteveld-Turnball and six friends were given access to the PricewaterhouseCooper site to gather rubble for their project. The jewellery will be sold at markets, with all proceeds going to St John.
A video of a play produced and performed by students from Avonside Girls' High School. The play was created for the Theater Federation One Act Play Festival, on the topic of the Christchurch rebuild. The students modeled the play on the epic theatre style, aiming to emotionally affect and enact change in their audience.
A photograph of students participating in a Youthtown workshop at Eastgate Mall. The students are painting rocks for the Rock on Eastside outdoor lounge and art space which is facilitated by Gap Filler and Youthtown. The rocks will be used to create artworks on the site on the corner of Aldwins Road and Linwood Avenue.
A video about the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints giving free lunches to Linwood College students after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The lunches ensure that students in disadvantaged areas are fed despite the challenges families are facing in the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
A photograph of a temporary structure, titled Continuum, being installed for CityUps. CityUps was a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014. Continuum was created by students from the University of Auckland, in partnership with Excuse My French Crepe Cart.
A photograph of a temporary installation titled Continuum, which was created by students from the University of Auckland, in partnership with Excuse My French Crepe Cart. Continuum was part of CityUps - a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014.
A photograph of a temporary structure, titled Continuum, being installed for CityUps - a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014. Continuum was created by students from the University of Auckland, in partnership with Excuse My French Crepe Cart.
A scanned copy of a black and white photograph depicting spectators to a student race along the Avon River. This was an annual event as part of capping week during the 1950s and 60s. The photograph was taken in the 1950s and was sourced from archives held in Macmillan Brown Library.
A scanned copy of a black and white photograph depicting a student race along the Avon River. This was an annual event as part of capping week during the 1950s and 60s. The photograph was taken in the 1950s and was sourced from archives held in Macmillan Brown Library.
A scanned copy of a black and white photograph depicting University of Canterbury students from Bishop Julius Hall of Residence dancing the Can Can on a float. The photograph was taken during the 1960 'procesh', or annual capping parade and was sourced from archives held in Macmillan Brown Library.
Barbeque for the the mechanical Engineer students who are having their lectures at Ohoka/Mandeville Showground.
Barbeque for the the mechanical Engineer students who are having their lectures at Ohoka/Mandeville Showground.
A student with a cup of soup from the Random Acts of Kindness initiative on Campus.
A photograph of liquefaction near Anzac Drive in Bexley. UC Geology students are out collecting data.
A photograph of architecture students on a temporary platform at the site of the Kloud installation.
A photograph of architecture students on a temporary platform at the site of the Kloud installation.
A photograph of architecture students on a temporary platform at the site of the Kloud installation.
A page banner promoting an article about difficulties caused by the earthquakes for a blind student.
Leader of the Student Volunteer Army, Sam Johnson, in the audience at the Community Engagement Awards.
Volunteers from the Student Volunteer Army photographed at the site of Gap Filler's "Dance-O-Mat".
A presentation given to St Martin's primary school students about SCIRT work in Opawa and Hillsborough.