Love, Emily

Dear Studio,

I will never forget my first encounter with you – one morning in my second year of university, I slogged my way to central library, ready to start my daily study grind. Tucked up in my thermals and hoodie, already damp from the rainy walk to campus, I opened the door to the foyer. Something sounded different – chatter and laughter. Something even smelt different – almost, yummy? I was greeted into the open space, offered a warm, soul-filling breakfast, yet this wasn’t even the best part. It was here that I connected with leaders of Silverline who were genuinely present and authentically asked me “how are you?”. 

From this one interaction with a single aspect of the studio, I felt a part of the Social Impact Studio community, and started to seek out opportunities to get more involved. One day, I built up the courage to tip toe into the physical studio space, hoping to learn more about the volunteering opportunities, without intruding. Immediately I learnt that there is no such thing as intruding upon the social impact studio. Everyone is welcome at any time for any reason. I started volunteering for ‘Garden to Table’, sharing my love for food and plants with primary school children. Then I volunteered for the Silverline Festival, making sure everyone who attended felt just as welcomed into the studio space as I did.

After accumulating multiple experiences with the studio in my second year, it was in my third year of studying a BSc that I became a Social Impact Lead. I felt privileged that I found a community of genuine people who were passionate about social impact and created space for challenging, yet extremely important, conversations surrounding privilege, mental health and social causes. I was inspired by the community that I was welcomed into and wanted to widen the scope of this to even more students. 

While many projects were undertaken at the studio while I was a Lead, (all presenting great opportunities for me to learn, connect with others, and develop my skills), the most rewarding project for me was partnering with the Sophia Charter to hold a Clean Up for Sophia Crestani at the anniversary of her passing. This was a personally significant event for me as I had a personal connection with Sophia. When I showed Sze-En how passionate I was about making this event become a reality, she did not hesitate to support me with this. Not only was the studio a supportive platform for this event to come to life, but also an emotional support for me while I grieved the passing of a friend. I never forget this, and am forever grateful for the love and kindness I received. Thank you so much.

Two years on, I am now based in Auckland studying medicine. While I have searched and searched for a version of the social impact studio up here, nothing has come close to replicating the community that I found in Dunedin. It is now that I have realised that the studio is not only a physical space on campus, but it is a community that remains connected even when students leave Otago University. While I am no longer in Dunedin, the studio has gifted me a best friend, a community of people I know I am forever connected to, a bunch of skills I developed from the projects we created, and a lot of love that I can now pass on to others. I am forever grateful for my studio experience.

Sending lots of love from across the motu,

Emily Jenner