Service
Serving others with grace and gratitude, we encourage our students to make a positive difference through a range of initiatives, including our College charity, Educating Girls Globally.
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Established in 2013 by then Head and Deputy Head Girls Gussie Cohen and Lucy Tothill, EGG aims to increase the standard of, and access to, girls’ education globally.
By uniting a global network of young leaders with a common passion for social justice, EGG has successfully completed infrastructure projects at girls’ schools in Malawi, helping to surmount a number of challenges facing girls in simply going to school, resulting in a significant increase in enrolment. Projects have included the construction of new security walls, bathroom facilities, and a boarding house for more than 60 pupils.
Students in Year 11-13 are invited to join the EGG Committee. The committee has responsibility for fundraising events and initiatives, including a biannual event where our staff bravely take to the stage mentored by our students and supported by our wider SMC community, and for encouraging students throughout our College to advocate for all girls to be given access to education.
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We take seriously the role of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the taiao (environment) by the propagation and regular planting of ngā tipu taketake (native plants), and incorporating sustainable practices into everyday activities.
In 2021, SMC students, staff and whānau planted 12,000 ngā tipu taketake in Christchurch’s Red Zone, 3,500 of which were raised in our very own SMC Eco-Action nursery on campus. Our students continue to work in partnership with Eco-Action, allocating their weekends to help transform Christchurch’s city centre into a green and welcoming habitat for native birds.
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Our students and staff work to raise funding towards our College activation of SheEO, a radically generous community supporting women + non-binary people working on the world’s to-do list. An activator since 2019, our activation supports a perpetual fund and opportunities for collaboration for women and non-binary entrepreneurs.
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Our students regularly organise community support and fundraising events in order to support those in need, both locally and globally, and our Christmas and Lenten appeals are key points in the calendar for directing this support toward community organisations such as the Christchurch City Mission. Students also donate their time and skills, for example by building playhouses for children with special needs, and organising food bank deliveries.
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Our girls recognise as global citizens they have an obligation to care for their fellow citizens in the wider world. They donate their time to raise awareness of worldwide initiatives which assist those going through crisis or facing hardship as a result of natural disasters or political upheaval, teaming with partners such as Red Cross.