A competition held by the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) during Youth Volunteer Week was a clean sweep for Auckland secondary schools, with students at KingsWay School collectively volunteering 408 hours.

SVA Head of Collaboration, Georgia Gumbrell, says "Held in May each year, Youth Volunteer Week is an opportunity to showcase the incredible mahi our young people put in every day, and celebrate the diverse ways in which they choose to contribute to their communities.”

Through the SVA Service Award - a programme designed to formally recognise the volunteering of intermediate and secondary school students across the country - SVA launched a competition in all 250 active schools to encourage participation in the initiative.

Collectively, SVA volunteers logged over 9,000 hours during Youth Volunteer Week.

Students at Epsom Girls Grammar contributed 845 hours; KingsWay 408 hours; and Rangitoto 312 hours.

Students were awarded certificates by SVA in special assemblies in August.

“It was fantastic to visit the winning schools and hear how they participated in the initiative,” said Georgia.

Since its inception in 2019, the SVA Service Award has seen tens of thousands of students sign up and log over a million hours of volunteering.

The five-level badge system celebrates the diverse acts of service students partake in, within their community, whānau or school.

Students log hours in the SVA web app, building a Summary of Service to support applications for scholarships, leadership opportunities, tertiary education or employment.