ABOUT US
So what is QUT Big Lift?
Big Lift is all about paying it forward by uplifting the people and communities around us. We began in 2010 as a student-run club under the QUT Guild (student government) enabling students of all ages and disciplines within QUT the opportunity to volunteer in service projects during an end-of-year bus trip to towns in regional Queensland. Since then, we have expanded into an Alumni chapter and have also partnered with QUT Leadership, Development & Innovation to evolve our little group into a recognisable QUT organisation. Our aims are to support regional communities through meaningful volunteering pursuits whilst enhancing our own understanding of rural life through conscious, reflective conversations, hands-on experience and practising respect for Indigenous Australians as the traditional owners of the land we live on.
MISSION AND GOALS FOR THE FUTURE
Evolution is natural, and each year we aim to get more QUT students engaged in the Brisbane community and in the wider Queensland communities on our annual Roadtrip and find more opportunities for students to participate in needs-based volunteering, and invest time building indigenous relationships. We want to pay it forward, build strong, fun relationships and bring communities together to generate positive action.
Our road trips not only aim to lend a hand in uplifting local communities, but importantly allowing QUT students to understand regional values and the issues that affect small towns. Throughout the year, Big Lifters look to build partnerships with organisations and make friends with groups that are involved in one day events, mini experiences and worthy causes.
OUR VALUES
'Community' and 'Family' go hand-in-hand where QUT Big Lift is concerned. Within our ever-growing Big Lift community - both within QUT and beyond - we aspire to adhere to the following core values; reshaped from our previous three pillars in August 2015.
1. Engagement with Regional Communities
Australia has a rich, diverse landscape that not all university students get the opportunity to explore. By developing meaningful, lasting relationships with both regional communities and the people within them, we aim to have a connection that is both long-term and mutually beneficial with the towns we visit. Understanding regional life and the associated trials and triumphs is key to both allowing Big Lifters to really 'uplift' communities through service as well as broadening our horizons to future professional and volunteering opportunities.
2. Needs-Based Volunteering
QUT Big Lift strives to veer away from the concept of 'volun-tourism' and instead, through extensive research, communication and reflective practice aims to plan journeys and projects that will really assist and therefore 'Lift' the towns we visit. Every year, by revisiting some towns, we aim to learn more about their residents in order to be informed about how our presence can be mindful and sensitive to the town's needs.
3. Fostering Student Development
Sometimes, it is necessary for us to be conscious of the fact that our Big Lifters may gain more out of our volunteering road-trips than certain communities we volunteer in. Big Lift aims to empower students by broadening perspectives on relevant social issues impacting rural life, giving them the opportunity to engage in hands-on volunteer projects to help others and most importantly, draws together like-minded people to build lasting relationships not only with each other, but with the individuals they encounter in regional towns. Additionally, throughout the year QUT Big Lift aims to maintain a positive presence on university campus through social and volunteering initiatives on a smaller scale than that of our road trips.
4. Respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Indigenous Peoples have a deep connection with the land we live on as its traditional custodians; and this is particularly tangible in many of the regional towns we visit. Both throughout the year and on our road-trips, QUT Big Lift aims to be conscious of the discrimination and disadvantage that many Indigenous Australians still experience to this day, and also strive to be able to sensitively and collaboratively assist them in their rights to self-determination. Our Big Lifters seek ways to conscientiously learn about the many diverse and distinct Aboriginal cultures and appreciate opportunities to learn from Indigenous communities, Reconciliation groups and QUT Oodgeroo.
Opportunities & Responsibilities
In developing our core values as guideposts to inform all of our operations as a group, we identified the opportunities that we provide for our members and the responsibilities that we owe as a collective.
Opportunities:
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Unique learning experiences
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Personal development
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To contribute and build connections with communities - both regional, and within QUT
Responsibilities:
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To prioritise regional community outcomes; particularly through integrating service-learning
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To create a supportive and collaborative environment for the Big Lift Executive and members
Cherbourg Ration Shed Museum End of Year Trip- 2015
