6 days ago
Teens going cold turkey from tech ‘ultimate' test
Mount Aspiring College students are going cold turkey on technology for the World Vision 40-hour famine this month.
Times have changed since the barley sugars and going without breakfast of the 1990s, and Otago students are putting themselves to the "ultimate 21st century test" and doing without phones and social media and spending a full 40 hours offline.
This year the task is to raise funds to feed Solomon Islands children affected by climate change-driven hunger.
Thousands of students will log off over the weekend of June 13-15 and get together with friends and whānau to complete the challenge as part of the country's largest youth fundraising event.
Mount Aspiring College students will be completely offline on Friday, June 13, when the entire school will go "no tech" and rely on "old school" methods such as pen and paper.
Mount Aspiring principal Nicola Jacobsen said being off their devices would be a good learning experience for the students.
"It's about young people having the opportunity to think about the world beyond themselves"
"I just love seeing the different things that students get involved in, the different challenges that they participate in ... By either completing a challenge or participating in one or donating money, they can improve the lives of people all around the world."
Other students from the college will be running a relay in which each participant runs 28km, the entire team completing a massive 400km.
"I think that's a fantastic value to have that, no matter how big or small, we can have a significant impact through our actions," Ms Jacobsen said.
Schools in Dunedin, including Queen's High School, are also taking part, as is Invercargill's James Hargest College.
Five key venues in Dunedin will light up orange in support of the campaign: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Tūhura Otago Museum, Otago Boys' High School, the Golden Centre Mall and Wall Street Mall.
The venues will join more than 50 other monuments around the country in lighting up orange for the World Vision 40 Hour Challenge weekend.
World Vision associate national director T.J. Grant said he was blown away by the number and scope of challenges young people were taking part in.
"It's inspiring to see so many young people put themselves to the test to support their peers in Solomon Islands who don't get enough to eat each day due to the changing climate.
"I'm always so encouraged by the passion, ingenuity and creativity of the challenges our young people demand of themselves and this year there's the extra challenge to be offline for 40 hours."
