Volunteering

Manawatū is full of generous people, who give their time and skill to help others succeed. If you are looking for ways to help, here is a list of options to get you started.

But before you dive in, think about your purpose. Then look in the list below to maximise your impact.

• IdeoU has 4 questions to help you figure out and write down the things that give you the most meaning.
• Read Six ways volunteering for ethical work can help you land your dream job via DoGoodJobs

Young people

• ShadowTech Day aims to encourage young women onto education pathways that lead into tech roles and careers in tech. High school students spend a day with you as you do your normal job, learning what a day in the life of a tech professional is like.
• ShadowTech Teachers provides support for high school teachers and careers advisors. As a mentor, you will have a couple of online meetings over a year, help connect teachers to resources that will help them, and (maybe) host a site visit so they can see your workplace. This gives them first hand information to pass on to their students.
• 123Tech is a digital challenge for intermediate and secondary school students, who solve problems in their school or communities using digital technologies. Palmerston North has won or been finalists several years in a row. Sign up to be a mentor to help a class with their projects. This usually involves 3-4 classroom visits for an hour each.
• Digits offers solutions to digital inclusion issues. They break down access barriers to internet and devices by supplying families with a device and internet connection, plus provide support for safe device use. They need funding for devices, and volunteers to help people make best use of them
• Code Club is a nationwide network of volunteer led coding clubs for kids. Many schools would like to have one but don't have the tech skills to run it.
• Inspiring the Future needs role models to talk about what its like to do your job.

Wider Community

• Volunteer Central have a database of opportunities. Non profits and community groups are looking for help with social media, keeping their web site up to date, automation or integration.
• The Institute of Directors has a list of board / governance roles. Many boards could use a tech savvy person to advise on information strategy; help the organisation think about privacy, security and compliance; or optimise their systems so they make best use of donor dollars and volunteer time.

Tech Community

• Mentoring can be as simple as a one off coffee or phone call with someone, through to a monthly catch up with formal development plans that lasts for years. Create a Mentoring profile in our database and we will connect you. No specific skill or experience level needed: for example, a recent graduate would be an ideal mentor for a high school student thinking about career options.
• Meetups are always looking for speakers or someone to help organise (book venues, find speakers, get the word out about events). All the meetups in the region are run by volunteers.
• Got an idea for a new meetup group that doesn't yet exist in town? Contact us for help / support to get started. We know of a couple of groups that are about to start, looking for extra help to get off the ground.
• Tech Week: runs every year in May. Help on the day with event logistics. Offer to organise an event. Help with marketing or social media promotion.
• Be a guest on our Podcast
• ManawaTech itself would value your help with marketing, social media, membership promotion, running events. We are a non profit with volunteers in several key roles.

Many more options. Contact us to add yours or if you'd like some advice on how to begin.