Sam Johnson (activist)

Last updated

Johnson at launch of 2016 social enterprise, WeVisit JohnsonS WeVisit .jpg
Johnson at launch of 2016 social enterprise, WeVisit

Sam Johnson (born 14 February 1989) is a social entrepreneur from Christchurch, New Zealand. [1] Johnson is known as the founder of the Student Volunteer Army [2] which mobilised 11,000 students to assist the cleanup following the Christchurch earthquakes and has continued as a nationwide volunteering movement [3]

Contents

Johnson is an international thought leader in developing models of community that build resilience through volunteering and local action. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Education and career

Johnson is from rural Canterbury and was educated at Christ's College and the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. [8] Johnson graduated from the University of Canterbury with a BA in Politics and Community Engagement in 2015.

Student Volunteer Army

Following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, Johnson founded the Student Volunteer Army to assist residents with the clean up of liquefaction caused by the earthquakes. [9] [10] The Student Volunteer Army was managed by a core team of 15 people and a wider administration of 70 people who managed the three core operations which the SVA focused on; battalions, squadrons and street teams. [11] There were 13,000 students volunteering per week. [12]

StudentArmy IlamSchool in March 2011 StudentArmy IlamSchool.jpg
StudentArmy IlamSchool in March 2011

Disaster response and preparedness

Johnson in a Tsunami stricken home in Japan In Ishinomaki, Japan.JPG
Johnson in a Tsunami stricken home in Japan

In late April and early May 2011, Johnson spent two weeks in Japan following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami to set up a Student Volunteer Army at Waseda University. [13]

Johnson worked to assist mobilising young Nepalese volunteers following the Nepal earthquakes in 2015. [14]

Johnson and the Student Volunteer Army worked with other young people alongside the UNISDR in preparation for 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. [15]

Local leadership and politics

Johnson successfully stood for the Riccarton-Wigram Community Board of the Christchurch City Council in the October 2010 local body elections. [16] At the time, he was endorsed by Prime Minister John Key for his election campaign. [17]

Johnson declared in July 2011 that he had no intention to run for higher public office in the near future. [18] In January 2013, it was reported that he may consider running for Christchurch City Council in the October 2013 local body elections. [19] The Press reported on 20 April 2013 that Lianne Dalziel would challenge Bob Parker for the Christchurch mayoralty, and that she had asked Johnson to be her running mate, with a view of Johnson becoming deputy mayor. Johnson eventually decided against running, saying it wasn't the "right thing for me right now". [20]

Johnson is a founding Trustee of the Ministry of Awesome, a Christchurch-based idea incubator. [21]

Social enterprise and business

In 2016, Johnson launched a social enterprise focused on the alarming rates of social isolation in New Zealand [22] which then joined forces with technology platform Mycare to improve the New Zealand care and support sector. [23]

Awards and celebrities

Johnson has received a Special Leadership Award from the Sir Peter Blake Trust [24] and was named Young New Zealander of the Year [25] and Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) Communicator of the Year in 2012. [26]

Johnson and the Student Volunteer Army have hosted many international icons and celebrities who visit Christchurch including several members of the British Royal Family, [27] [28] the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet [29] and organisers of the Never Again MSD gun control campaign.

Personal life

Johnson is openly gay and married to husband Tyler Brummer. The couple live in Auckland. In 2022, they announced that they were looking for a surrogate in order to have a child. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Canterbury</span> Public research university in Christchurch, New Zealand

The University of Canterbury (UC) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbury College, the first constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is New Zealand's second-oldest university, after the University of Otago, which was founded four years earlier, in 1869.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canterbury Region</span> Region of New Zealand

Canterbury is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,503.88 square kilometres (17,183.04 sq mi), making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of 655,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lianne Dalziel</span> New Zealand politician

Lianne Audrey Dalziel is a New Zealand politician and former Mayor of Christchurch. Prior to this position, she was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for 23 years, serving as Minister of Immigration, Commerce, Minister of Food Safety and Associate Minister of Justice in the Fifth Labour Government. She resigned from Cabinet on 20 February 2004 after apparently lying about a leak of documents to the media, but was reinstated as a Minister following Labour's return to office after the 2005 election. She resigned from Parliament effective 11 October 2013 to contest the Christchurch mayoral election. The incumbent, Bob Parker, decided not to stand again. She was widely regarded as the top favourite and won with a wide margin to become the 46th Mayor of Christchurch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch</span> City in the South Island of New Zealand

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park along its banks. The city's territorial authority population is 389,300 people, and includes a number of smaller urban areas as well as rural areas. The population of the urban area is 377,900 people. Christchurch is the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, after Auckland. It is the major urban area of an emerging sub-region known as Greater Christchurch. Notable smaller urban areas within this sub-region include Rangiora and Kaiapoi in Waimakariri District, north of the Waimakariri River, and Rolleston and Lincoln in Selwyn District to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ChristChurch Cathedral</span> Church in Christchurch Central City, New Zealand

ChristChurch Cathedral, also called Christ Church Cathedral and (rarely) Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecrated Anglican cathedral in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 and 1904 in the centre of the city, surrounded by Cathedral Square. It became the cathedral seat of the Bishop of Christchurch, who is in the New Zealand tikanga of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riccarton, New Zealand</span> Suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand

Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of the city centre, separated from it by Hagley Park. Upper Riccarton is to the west of Riccarton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigram</span> Suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand

Wigram is a suburb in the southwest of Christchurch, New Zealand. The suburb lies close to the industrial estates of Sockburn and the satellite retail and residential zone of Hornby, and has undergone significant growth in recent years due to housing developments. It is seven kilometres to the west of the city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolleston, New Zealand</span> Town in the South Island of New Zealand

Rolleston is the seat and largest town in the Selwyn District, in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the Canterbury Plains 22 kilometres (14 mi) south-west of Christchurch, and is part of the wider Christchurch metropolitan area. The town has a population of 28,000, making it New Zealand's 24th-largest urban area and the third-largest in Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canterbury Television</span> New Zealand television station

Canterbury Television was an independent television station broadcasting in Canterbury, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch Girls' High School</span> School in Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch Girls' High School in Christchurch, New Zealand, was established in 1877 and is the second oldest girls-only secondary school in the country, after Otago Girls' High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Buck</span> Mayor of Christchurch

Vicki Susan Buck is a New Zealand politician. She was Mayor of Christchurch for nine years from 1989 to 1998. She retired after three terms, having been very popular. She made a political comeback, standing in the 2013 local elections in the Riccarton-Wigram ward as councillor for Christchurch City Council, being returned with the highest number of votes across all city wards. She subsequently accepted the role of deputy mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas of Canterbury College</span> School

St Thomas of Canterbury College is a college for year 7 to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It is located in Christchurch, New Zealand. The college is integrated into the state education system under an integration agreement which was first entered into by the Christian Brothers and the Government of New Zealand on 11 November 1981 under Section 7 of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975. St Thomas of Canterbury College is located in the Christchurch suburb of Sockburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch Central City</span> Central area of Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch Central City or Christchurch City Centre is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the Four Avenues and thus includes the densely built up central city, some less dense surrounding areas of residential, educational and industrial usage, and green space including Hagley Park, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and the Barbadoes Street Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Woods</span> New Zealand politician

Megan Cherie Woods is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who serves as a Cabinet Minister in the Sixth Labour Government and has served as Member of Parliament for Wigram since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Christchurch earthquake</span> February 2011 earthquake in New Zealand

A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time. The Mw6.2 earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi) south-east of the central business district. It caused widespread damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people, in New Zealand's fifth-deadliest disaster.

The Christchurch Recovery Map, also known as eq.org.nz, was a short-lived website providing crowdsourced information about the Christchurch earthquake of 22 February 2011. The site aggregated information via email, tweets with an #eqnz hashtag, SMS and a locally hosted web form. The site was built with open source tools and active support from CrisisCommons and Ushahidi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CTV Building</span> Former headquarters of Canterbury Television

The CTV Building was the headquarters of Canterbury Television and other companies. Located on the corner of Cashel and Madras Streets in Christchurch Central City, New Zealand. It became one of the symbols of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake after 115 people lost their lives when the building collapsed during the disaster; the deaths made up about 60% of the earthquake's total fatalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Student Volunteer Army</span> Volunteer organisation based at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand

The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is a New Zealand student movement born from a Facebook page started following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The network has no military affiliation and is focused on facilitating community action through youth engagement, preparing for disasters, and service. The clubs and volunteers are supported by the Volunteer Army Foundation (VAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deon Swiggs</span> New Zealand activist and politician

Deon William Swiggs is a New Zealand politician serving as the Environment Canterbury Councillor representing the Christchurch West/Ōpuna Regional Constituency. He previously served as the Christchurch City Councillor representing the Central ward from 2016 to 2019. Prior to Swiggs being elected, he was most well known for his participation in Rebuild Christchurch, an organisation founded after the 2010 Canterbury earthquake.

References

  1. ↑ "10th Anniversary Edition". Latitude Magazine – Canterbury's Own Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Jo Mckenzie-Mclean (9 June 2012). "Student Army Leader Sam Johnson Makes International..." Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "Another Student Volunteer Army mobilises". Newshub. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "International Volunteer Day takes leaders across the globe | Volunteering New Zealand". Volunteeringnz.org.nz. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "صحيفة عرب نيوز « مركز وارف لتنمية الشباب". Warif.org. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "Google Events | Big Tent 2012". 2 July 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Kiwi of the year mobilizes world youth for disaster resilience – UNISDR". www.unisdr.org. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Janet (18 April 2011). "Sam the man". New Zealand Listener (3702). Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) : 14 September 2010". Parliament.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Tina Law (31 December 2011). "Kohan McNab | It's A New World For Students". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "About – Volunteer Army Foundation". Volunteerarmy.org. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Sam the man". New Zealand Listener. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  13. ↑ McKenzie-McLean, Jo (11 May 2011). "Japan to use Christchurch volunteer model". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  14. ↑ "Nepalese boy pulled from rubble 6 days after quake | World". 3 News. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Kiwi of the year mobilizes world youth for disaster resilience – UNISDR". www.unisdr.org. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "Christchurch City Council – Riccarton-Wigram Community Board". Elections 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  17. ↑ MacDonald, John. "Prime Minister and Mayor come to UC to say thank you". University of Canterbury. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  18. ↑ "A special night for a hero". Sunday Star Times. 3 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  19. ↑ Cairns, Lois (28 January 2013). "Johnson ponders running for council". The Press . Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  20. ↑ "Student Army head won't run for mayor". 3 News NZ. 22 April 2013.
  21. ↑ Vicki Anderson. "Sam Johnson Proposes Ministry of Awesome". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  22. ↑ "Visiting service set up for the elderly to curb loneliness". Stuff. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  23. ↑ "Mycare & WeVisit Join Forces to Improve NZ Care & Support | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  24. ↑ "2011 Special Leadership Awardee: Sam Johnson". sirpeterblaketrust.org. 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  25. ↑ Charles Anderson and Fairfax Auckland. "Sam Johnson Named Young New Zealander Of The Year". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  26. ↑ Sam Sachdeva (5 October 2012). "Sam Johnson Named 2012 Communicator of the Year". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  27. ↑ "Prince William: 'Grief is the price we pay for love'". TVNZ. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  28. ↑ "Volunteer Army gets Royal approval". Newshub. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  29. ↑ "News | The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama". Dalailama.com. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  30. ↑ Gill, Sinead (5 March 2022). "Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson and husband searching for surrogate to start family". Stuff . Retrieved 28 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.