RELAXED GUITAR MUSIC Captions by Virginia Philp. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 1 Hi, I'm Jason Gunn, a born and bred Cantabrian. Now, in 2010 when the first earthquake hit Christchurch, varsity student Sam Johnson had Facebook, and the rest is history. He went on to create and lead the now internationally acclaimed Student Volunteer Army which played a huge role in cleaning up our beautiful city and at its peak had 27,000 Facebook followers. Well, since then, Sam has gone from strength to strength, and in 2012 he was named Young NZer of the Year. But here's the thing ` who is Sam Johnson? I would give up everything, every positive experience I've had from the earthquake if it was to return the city back to normal. There is people that lost their lives, people who've been through an awful lot of heartache. But you'd give up everything in a heartbeat to enable those people to come back and for our city not to have not gone through what we have. After the first earthquake in September, I saw four earthquake after-parties that I got invited too. Didn't think that was quite the right thing, so I started a page through the internet on Facebook, invited 200 of my friends to go to it, who they then invited more of their friends to this one place on the internet. I turned up at 10 o'clock in the morning out in Halswell, and there were 150 people there. People kept coming in their cars, unloading, bringing shovels, bringing the wheelbarrows and just offering to help out. I was a bit nervous when I first hopped out of the car to see all these people and I don't know what I'm doing. 'We've got this situation, and we're going to follow our instinct 'and do the best thing possible to make the best decision.' The best place to go is see where all those people are in there? Just go start in there. Just maybe spread yourselves round. He walked in the room, and he was such a nice young lad. He just smiled and said, 'I'm here with a couple of hundred students. How can we help?' And I said, 'There's your noticeboard, Sam,' and he took a photo of the noticeboard, went outside, and here's all these students in gumboots and shovels and spades, and they all just did` The whole noticeboard was done in a couple of hours. PEOPLE CHATTER After February, the turnout went crazy. We had 1000 people on the first day, and we managed to take around 1800 people per day. We'd say, 'Be there at 10 o'clock.' They'd be there at 7.30. We were, like, 'OK, we're away. Let's do this!' There was huge reward in it for everyone. For the volunteers, for myself. If you were out there and able to see this change and really feel like you're able to make a difference. That was the key ` that you're able to do something that helps someone else and make a difference. After the five major earthquake clean-ups, we had around 9000 people who contributed more than 80,000 hours of work to residents in Christchurch. People coming together after disaster is common, but what is really uncommon is a large number of young people just stepping up together at the same time to just do what they think is the right thing. But what's remarkable is that Sam was able to galvanise it at that moment where we really needed that young leadership. He was the right person at the right time, and then he grew into that role, and all of those students around him also grew into that role. There's a lot of unquantifiable things that SPA contributed, cos it wasn't about the silt; it was about the people and relationships. There's good people out there, but you don't hear much of them, and here they are here today helping us out. The elderly were very much appreciative, because they physically couldn't do that work, and, mentally, it was overwhelming for them. They didn't know where to start. What was most overwhelming for me was the response of the residents. And that was the same for all the people who helped out. They were crying on the streets with us, just so moved by the fact just so many people had come to help them. If you see a group of students in your street, you know not to call the police. You actually welcome them. So, yeah, that's a Christchurch saying now, and that's due to Sam, as well. That is due to Sam Johnson and his army. I love what the Student Army was able to create. It was much around the principle. I dreamed of this thing. 'We could start a Facebook page that could do something.' And thanks to a lot of people, a lot of teams, a lot of everyone contributing too it, it built into something that's really changed the culture of young people in NZ. I think Sam is a terrific communicator. He's very sincere, and he takes a good idea and just runs with it. And he's able to bring other people with him. It's really about the inspiring. I'm a big-picture visionary person. I've got ideas about where I want to see the world go. I'm idealistic and somewhat naive, which I love. It's all about the big picture, where we could go, what you can change and what you can do. My attention to detail sometimes needs a brush-up, but one thing we've realised through this volunteer army and everything that we do, everyone's got strengths and weaknesses. He also recognises his own limits, and that's a great thing now in that he works with other people and other students who are good at doing the administration, making it all happen and working as a team. So, again, that's his kind of understanding the sort of the 'we' of leadership, rather than just it's all about me. I-I-I feel kind of like I'm the poster child of this thing somewhat fraudulently sometimes because there's such a huge group of us involved. And if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here. After the tsunami, we were invited to go to Japan. Jason, my 2IC and I went and spent some time in Ishinomaki working with a group of students, teaching them what we did in Christchurch, how things worked, how it operated, sharing our knowledge with universities. And just saying, you know, 'Is there anything Christchurch can share?' We've got to put everything in bags here, small little super bags with a wee draw-string on them like that. And so we've probably done a hundred this morning. And so we've probably done a hundred this morning. Yeah. Easy. You see this piano. I wonder if it works. Nah, completely trashed. We were dropped into a situation that neither of us really had probably been prepared for or really thought about. Some of the people that we met over there and some of the situations they had been through were very very, um, extreme. This is an area where the water was 14m high where it travelled through, um, so it's completely destroyed everything. It was hard. It was unbelievably just terrifying to see it all the time and be there and smell it and have the bit of silt that just settles around your ears. And, you know, it wasn't` There's nothing nice about it, but equally it was so, so rewarding to be able to be there and help these people. PAUL HENRY: Good morning to you, NZ. It's all about Canterbury. From the very start of the Student Army, there's been a lot of media attention on me. This is Sam, who joins us now, who's the spokesperson for of the group. Good morning. Yeah so we have a huge group of students out, over 2000 over 10 days. 'I've done speech and drama at school and that really helped a lot' in terms of just my communication to the media, and that was an important part, and that's what a part of my job was. You are in charge of communication. Over the last couple of years, I've been able to meet some incredible people from across the world. We shared with them our experience and our stories, and they listened. They're very interested in what happened in Christchurch, and it's a great privilege to be able to do that. CHEERING If it ends up in having a dance with the Duchess of Cornwall on that Friday afternoon ` great. SWING MUSIC PLAYS I'm not fazed by meeting these people. My heroes are the ones who slave away in a volunteer organisation in the community every single day of the year and never get any glory for it. (WHISTLES) Come on! 1 I grew up in Mayfield, which is inland from Ashburton. About an hour south of Christchurch. I've got an older sister and younger sister, mum and dad. Mum lives in Timaru. Dad lives at the farm with my stepmum, my stepbrother and stepsister as well. No nice men in the home, BJ? No nice men in the home, BJ? < Yes! No nice men in the home, BJ? < Yes! What? Have you got a boyfriend? < Oh yes! < Oh yes! Yes, you do? Excellent! Growing up, I think I was an interesting kid. Didn't like rugby, and I didn't want to go out on the farm. I preferred to be with Mum a lot of the time. Bit of a Mummy's boy, I guess. He was playful. He was friendly. He loved dressing up, you know, which to me was, 'OK, yeah.' But, you know, that's all part of kids. He loved play-acting. Um, yeah, he hated sport. You know, he'd be in the local rugby team, and you'd go down and watch him, and he'd be mucking around, not doing anything, and you'd yell out 'Come on, Sam, get in there.' And all of a sudden, 'Damn, Dad's watching. I have to go and do something.' Growing up in a rural community has been hugely influential on my life. I think a lot of the people involved with the Student Army were all from rural backgrounds or had rural roots. Little rural communities are really close. They're just very resilient. Something goes wrong, 'OK, we'll fix that or we'll just band together and do it.' I love Dad. He's that typical mid-Canterbury farmer. He's great. Big heart. Dad's been hugely influential in my life in supporting me, giving me advice, but, in the end, at the end of the day, supporting what I choose to do and what I want to do. I think I've taught him work hard and be honest with yourself. That's about all you can do in life. As long as you're honest with yourself and happy with yourself, you're fine. Dad, I think, instinctively taught me not to be phased by pomp and ceremony or media or celebrity or any of that sort of stuff, cos, at the end of the day, farming doesn't buy into that. You can do the job or you can't ` that's it. I think Sam enjoys coming back down here, cos it's reality, and he's no different to anybody else around here. He's just Sam, and there's a lot of media hype about him, and he's famous and all that sort of stuff, but down here he's not. He is and he's not, you know? Young NZer of the Year still has to, you know, sort of, do his chores. Wash the dishes, you know, mow the lawn, um, put up a fence. Growing up with Sam was interesting. We fought like cats and dogs when we were younger, and basically just like any brother and sister, until we moved to Christchurch when our parents split up. And Sam and I went through a lot together, and we became really close, and kind of we've become closer and closer ever since. I'm Sam's PA and work as organising his diary, basically, his interviews, his speaking engagements and meetings and all sorts of things, which is a huge job. I don't think you need to worry about that schedule. Is that what you're doing? I do. It's so that you know where you are at the right time and what you are talking about. I'm a very organised person and a little bit of a control freak, and Sam is the total opposite. He is so disorganised that we do complement each other very well. I'm not terribly good at saying no to things, so everything's a great opportunity. 'We'll go to that. We'd love to help out.' And Bridget's a bit more, 'No. University. We need to do this. Come on, focus'. He's very much a people person, so he likes to make everyone happy and say yes to everyone. Whereas Bridgie will be, like, 'No Sam, we can't do that. We'll organise it. We'll get back to you'. Bridgie? Fried tomatoes? 'I am very sociable, and I guess Sam has got that side of his personality from me.' When are you going to Saudi? When are you going to Saudi? In March for 10 days. Have you told your mother this? Have you told your mother this? < Yes! (CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) 'When we first moved to Christchurch and I would have some friends over, 'he would always be out there with getting the drinks for the girls and being the perfect host.' And at a very young age he was very much, like, 'Is everything OK, Mum? 'Shall I get the cheese and crackers out? Get the chip an dip?' So he's very much like that from a very young age. I would certainly take from my mum in the way that she's very social. I'm a total extravert. I like getting out there and meeting people and making connections between people. Learning` Meeting someone who's really passionate about this idea and linking them to someone who's got skills, money or expertise to help. Just making these connections and links and networking. Sam can talk to anyone. Old, young, it wouldn't make any difference to Sam. He just` Everyone is important in Sam's world. I've got friends out on the east side of Christchurch who I've been to a lot since the earthquakes and who we helped after the quakes. Hello, hello, ladies. How are you? Hello, hello, ladies. How are you? I want to shake your hand. Hello, hello, ladies. How are you? I want to shake your hand. Oh. You shouldn't do that. Do you realise that you're the person that every old lady here wants for a grandson? Oh, well, I want you guys as grandmas. We always have a good time together. We sit, and I do their Zumba class occasionally, and there's a whole group that Betty invites out, and we go and do some baking, play the piano, have some music, or whatever we do. And it's just about having fun. SINGS: I once was lost... 'Just taking some time and listening to how people are going, listening to their stories, 'listening to how the earthquake recovery is going. 'And they're are people who have been through an unbelievably tough time in the earthquake.' I was trying to listen to what the words were from you. (LAUGHS) Empathy is something` it's a word that pops into my head when I think about Sam. Because empathy is something that not everyone has. A lot of people have sympathy for others and they get very sympathetic, but I think empathy is something that is you either have empathy or you don't. And in Sam's case, he's definitely got empathy. You pour so nicely. You pour so nicely. (LAUGHS) The elderly do love Sam, yes. When we have a function and Sam's come over to be a waiter, even if any of us other volunteers try to help out, it's not accepted because they do actually want Sam to serve them. My grandparents played a huge role in my life, and it was very much just about listening more and not always saying, Oh, I know, I know, I know.' I have in high regard the advice and wisdom you can get from someone with more life experience than yourself. I respect that it goes two ways, that they love and respect the way that our world is so different, and they're eager to learn about it. They're eager to learn about the technology and this different world that's popping up before them. 1 Bridget to Ria. Sam and I are just heading up to the corporate boxes now. The challenge Jase and I had after the earthquake was how do we keep this thing alive? How do we keep young people going into communities alive? We thought we're going to put on this massive concert. But the only way to get a ticket to this concert is to do four hours of volunteering. So, you're on in 90 seconds. So, you're on in 90 seconds. Sweet. So do I go`? Where do I walk? Out here? Yep, just run out and be, like, Hey! How are you guys going?' MAN: The man that needs no introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Sam Johnson. CHEERING, APPLAUSE Gidday, guys. How we doing? 'I was rapt with the results of the concert. Despite the worst possible weather on the day of the event, 'we had 8500 people sign up to it. They did over 900 projects.' We had 50,000 hours of work, as a total, they had created for this event. The feedback we got from some of the volunteers was they didn't realise how much they were going to enjoy volunteering. They didn't realise the personal benefits that come from volunteering, you know, the feel-good factor, essentially. It's not just about volunteering. It's about the community change aspect that you can get involved and make a difference and the buzz that you get from that. So with the concert, a third of the people who volunteered once have done it again for the next few months, which is our thinking ` getting someone off the couch once, then they can go and support other organisations who are already established. And so for me it's about making a change, being able to feel useful and feel helpful and be able to contribute to society. I don't do things that aren't fun. We all like fun. And I remember asking one of the farmers at the end of the day, end of one of the first days of Farmy Army when we worked together. I was, like, 'Will you come back tomorrow?' He's, like, 'Young man, if you put those 10 young ladies with me, 'I'll come back every day for the rest of my life'. 'I'll come back every day for the rest of my life'. LAUGHTER And the Student Army has led to a whole raft of activities right across the world. There's a lot of people who are really interested in the model of volunteering that we created. And so I spend quite a lot of time going to different conferences around the world, just really sharing our story. Very few places around the world have had experiences like we have in terms of mass coordination of spontaneous volunteers. There's an enormous international interest in what Sam's achieved here, because it's something that's very important for lots of countries that are recovering from disasters, how they can network and use young citizens. I find it incredible watching, particularly, international audiences listening to Sam speak because the things that he presents to them are things that they've never seen, never heard, never thought of before, and that seems to be a transformational experience for quite a lot of people. And that's a very inspirational thing to see. This year I'm back at university to finish off my degree in law and political science. And so I'll finish that off, doing a few pages each semester while keeping on, sort of, ticking over at these other projects I have. I wouldn't say I love study, I wouldn't say I love university, but I love the outcome from it and that I'm learning, growing and being challenged in different ways. It's quite exciting. For me, it's as much about the people that you're at university with than course that you're doing. The people surrounding you. It's people who challenge you and invite you to explore the world in a different way. And that's what excites me about going back to uni. I think that we haven't really understood yet the full impact of what the Student Volunteer Army and what Sam has done and what it will mean for NZ. Because what's been a remarkable thing to see happening here in Christchurch is this whole new generation of young leadership that's just sort of emerged, and they are going to change the future of this country, and it is really an exciting privilege to be part of it, to watch it and think about its long-term consequences for the country. I feel proud and privileged to have had the experience and met the people and done the things I've done in the last three years. It's really exciting. But, at the end of the day, for me, I'm just a pretty ordinary kid from Mayfield who started a Facebook page and it grew, and I got to meet some awesome people and have some great experiences. I feel incredibly proud of him. I am very privileged to be his mum. I am delighted that he can still remember where he comes from and who he is as a person and that some of the grounding that he got as a child is still there, which is why he is a nice person, it's why it works. It's not just about the fact that he had an idea on Facebook. Yeah, my boy. Yeah. VOICE BREAKING: Extremely proud. That's about it. As a person, Sam is relentlessly positive and charismatic. You can't possibly drop him into a situation where he won't only focus on the positives. You can't possibly introduce him to a person where he doesn't see the great things about the person, and you can't possibly present him with a situation where he can't come up with some ridiculous solution no one else would have ever dreamed of. I'm a glass-half-full person and a bit of an internal optimist, and some people say that positivity, relentless positivity, can only get you so far, but I'd argue it can get you a jolly long way. It's good to surround yourself with people who are more realistic and pessimistic on the world, but, at the end of the day, nothing's impossible. Pick something. 'Right, we're doing this. Let's go. We'll get there.' The opera that I saw that really caught me was Eugene Onegin. Kind of embarrrassing, cos I started crying and... (LAUGHS) But that was the moment where I just thought, 'If that can really move me, man, I wonder what I can do if I get up there.'