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CHCH101 offers anyone interested in active citizenship, community engagement, and social innovation with the opportunity to combine academic content with volunteering and critical reflection. Through this innovative design and delivery, this course serves as a cornerstone experience for further study in these topics across a wide range of disciplines.
Join over 1000 other students who have taken CHCH101 in the past ten years! During that time, students have contributed over 25,000 hours of service to more than 50 community organisations, government agencies, and individuals in Christchurch, Japan, Vanuatu, and the U.S. UC is the only place in the world to take this unique course that was inspired by the actions of the Student Volunteer Army following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 and focuses on the role of social innovation in strengthening communities. Students who have taken CHCH101 not only learn more about their local contexts, they learn a lot about themselves.“[Billy’s course] changed my view on the world. There are two things that stood out to me... his ability to inspire young adults to become change agents in their community and his creative, personalised instructional design that allowed students to not only identify their strengths but use them to solve problems.” (Student, 2021)
Upon successful completion of CHCH101, students will be able to:1. Apply theory to critically analyse community engagement and social innovation2. Engage in, and undertake structured reflection on, service and service learning3. Engage with the employability and innovative attribute of the Graduate Profile4. Design and present a personally relevant and evidence-based community project
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.
Employable, innovative and enterprising
Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.
Biculturally competent and confident
Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.
Engaged with the community
Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.
Globally aware
Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.
Billy O'Steen
Anne Horton
Covid-19 vaccinations: Please note that while Covid vaccinations are not required for this course, non-vaccinated students might not be able to take part in all activities (field trips, project work) and might be limited in their opportunities to engage with vulnerable youth and communities. We strongly recommend full vaccination to protect you and the communities you work with.
Domestic fee $799.00
International fee $3,600.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
Maximum enrolment is 500
For further information see School of Educational Studies and Leadership .