2011 World of Difference participants

Wednesday, 24 November 2010, 10:27 am
Press Release: Vodafone

Vodafone NZ Foundation announces 2011 World of Difference participants

Vodafone New Zealand Foundation is paying six passionate Kiwis to spend the next year working for youth related charities as part of the World of Difference programme.

The six participants were announced at the launch of the 2011 World of Difference programme in the Grand Hall of Parliament last night.

Minister of Social Development and Youth Affairs, Paula Bennett was on hand to congratulate the winners on being selected, alongside Vodafone NZ Foundation Chair Michael Stanley.

“So many passionate and talented people applied this year and everyone needs to be acknowledged. As the programme grows in stature so too do the applicants and our selection job certainly isn’t getting any easier. We are confident this group of individuals will show the character and determination to make a difference in many people’s lives over the next 12 months and beyond,” says Mr Stanley.

“Having people like the 2011 World of Difference recipients in our communities is something we can all be proud of.”

The six participants are:

• Fiona Hargreaves (Christchurch) - 180 Degrees Trust
• Guy Ryan (Dunedin) – Inspiring Stories Trust Board
• Julian Reweti (Bay of Islands) – Te Runanga o Ngatihine Trust
• Nicky Skerman (Hawkes Bay) – Royal New Zealand Plunket Society
• Samuel Twomey (Upper Hutt) – Hutt Valley Youth Health Trust (Vibe)
• Seb Stewart (Nelson) – Q-Youth Inc.

With the World of Difference programme paying their salary and expenses, recipients are able to transform what for many is a part-time passion into a full-time commitment. It is Vodafone’s way of helping strengthen communities and support better outcomes for Kiwi youth.

2011 will be a bigger and even better year as the Vodafone New Zealand Foundation introduces its new GEM initiative giving another 25 Kiwis the opportunity to work for a youth-related charity while receiving a salary from the Vodafone NZ Foundation.

Mr Stanley says he hopes the World of Difference and GEM programmes will have a catalytic impact. In the UK where two month World of Difference placements were rolled out for the first time last year, 60% of participants continued working with their charity after their placement and 50% of participants expected to spend significantly more time volunteering and working with charities.

The World of Difference programme was established in 2002 and has enabled 45 passionate people to make a world of difference in New Zealand and overseas.

The Vodafone New Zealand Foundation has invested nearly $10 million in the not-for-profit sector over the past eight years, through initiatives such as World of Difference.

For more information see www.vodafonenzfoundation.org.nz.

ENDS

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