It鈥檚 National Volunteer week and the students have been living up to this year鈥檚 theme, 鈥楾ime to Shine - He w膩 p墨ataata鈥, pushing their comfort zones to practise the English skills they鈥檝e learnt in the classroom, out in the community.
The group of 15 is participating in the ELA鈥檚 six-week Cultural and Language Immersion Scheme. Their arrival from the City University of Hong Kong was eagerly anticipated after two years of Covid-19 border closures halted the usually steady stream of overseas students.
The volunteering aspect of their programme is a unique and valuable part of building their English proficiency. Students are matched with fields they have an interest in 鈥 and where there is plenty of interaction 鈥 including charity shops, aged care homes and the New Zealand Maritime Museum on Auckland鈥檚 waterfront.