Sixty-four students have joined a new Zonta club at Botany Downs Secondary College.
The inaugural meeting of the BDSC Z Club was held on Friday 12 June and led by teacher Hubaan Bhandari.
Z Clubs are the school-level arm of Zonta International, a service organisation that works to improve the position of women and girls.
Gay Gallagher, Director of Advocacy at Zonta East Auckland, gave the students an overview of the organisation’s aims.
She set out its focus on education, advocacy and the prevention of gender-based violence.
Students also heard about fundraising that supports local and international projects for women and girls.
The school says the session introduced members to Zonta’s core values of service, leadership, equality and community engagement.
It says a strong emphasis was placed on advocacy and empowerment, and that students were encouraged to become informed leaders and active voices for positive change.
Students learned about how they could contribute through awareness campaigns, community service and leadership roles inside the school and beyond it.
Sue Miller, vice-president of Zonta East Auckland, also attended.
So did two of the college’s own staff, Wilma Viegas, an honorary Zonta member, and Kantha Krishna.
The school describes the meeting as a resounding success and says it set the foundation for action, collaboration and service.
It expects the club to be chartered in 2027.
Chartering is the point at which a Z Club is formally recognised by Zonta International.
