Volunteering provides sense of belonging in new country
Nishadi was searching for a way to belong when she moved from her home in Sri Lanka to New Zealand in 2023 to pursue her PhD studies at Victoria University of Wellington.
Like many students arriving in a new environment, she was searching for some way to connect, contribute, and feel part of something. She found that in volunteering!
She joined the volunteering programme through the university and started small-scale, event-based volunteering.
“What started as curiosity gradually became something deeply meaningful. With time I felt more confident and began participating in broader community events, from working bee clean-ups to major Wellington events like Festival for the Future, Cuba Dupa, and the Diversity Festival. I also ended up as a regular volunteer at community-focused organisations like New Zealand Red Cross and student support programs like International Buddy Program.
“I now regularly volunteer in student support teams within the university, sustainability programs and cultural exchange events. Each encounter offers a fresh perspective and reminds me of the shared human need for connection and caring about each other. One of my upcoming plans is to use my baking skills to make a large-scale donation to an organisation supporting children in need—combining my personal passions with the desire to give back.
“As a PhD candidate researching about loneliness in migrant communities, I now realise how essential social connection is—not just in theory, but through lived experience. The connections I’ve formed while volunteering reflect the very outcomes I hope to achieve in my academic work. For the organisations I’ve supported, I hope my contributions have helped move their missions forward, even in small ways.
“This year’s National Volunteer Week theme, Whiria te tangata – weaving the people together, beautifully captures what volunteering has meant to me. I’ve built networks with people from different backgrounds, disciplines, cultures and stories. Each thread of connection—whether forged during a community clean-up or over shared cupcakes at a bake sale—has woven a richer, warmer fabric around my life. I now feel less like a visitor and more like someone who belongs.”