Locals a home away from home

More than a decade ago, a spark of an idea to support Dunedin students who chose to study at Otago morphed into the Locals programme - and that celebrates 10 years in existence this year.

Head of Locals Maya Pitcon says it started back in 2009, when Dr Jacques van der Meer, the then Director of the Student Learning Centre, organised a First-year Experience Colloquium. An orientation project for local students was identified as needed, recognising that there were a large number of Dunedin-based students at Otago who did not have the same collegiate experience as students in a residential college.

“In 2011, this project focused on a few O-week events supporting academic orientation.”

In 2013, Locals - a full-year programme to support first-year students not living in a college - was born.

“Today Locals is the biggest student community on campus. But in its first year, the programme only took in five students from each of the 12 local high schools.”

Pitcon was one of those students, coming from Queens High School.

Back then, it was hard to get into a college as a Dunedin local she says, and local students did not experience the same level of community as residential students.

“Locals filled in the gap, providing us with mentors to talk to, and a group of students who were on a similar journey to connect with.”

While the initial group in 2013 was 60 students, today Locals supports about 900 first-year students, Pitcon says.

“Our cohort has grown exponentially, largely because we now include all first-year students who don’t live in a college, irrespective of what city or country they call home.”

Student Success Senior Specialist Dr Stephen Scott says Locals is not only the biggest but also the most diverse student community on campus.

Dr Scott was part of the original group of staff who helped launch the programme. He worked to develop and advocate for the programme and then went on to become the Director of Locals until 2022.

“We have students from Dunedin and all over the world, who choose to study at Otago but not live in colleges. Locals is an opportunity to engage with them early, give them a sense of belonging and help ensure their transition to tertiary study is as smooth as possible.”

About a quarter of all first-year students choose to live at home, flat, or board in their first year. Locals is their community, a community for students, run by students, Pitcon says.

The programme is driven by a team of volunteers and Locals Leaders - second or third-year students who were in the Locals programme in their first year.

Locals Leaders organise a range of events throughout the year, covering social, volunteering, academic support activities and participation in intercollegiate competitions.

“The Leaders are the heart and soul of Locals.

“My job is to work beside them to organise and run all of our fun events and engage with the wider University community to organise academic support.”

While a fair few of the Locals activities are online or even offsite, securing a physical space on campus in 2014 made a huge difference to the programme, Pitcon says.

Located in the Union building, Locals HQ is the student common room.

“Locals HQ made it feel like you had somewhere to belong, somewhere to go. It was a gamechanger for us.”

The other big change for the programme was the shift to Student Services, Pitcon says.

“Before being a part of Student Services, we floated around a bit, with our year-on-year funding coming from a number of sources.

“This move solidifies our position, giving us a steady platform on which to grow the programme.”

Dr Scott, who advocated for Locals to be a part of Student Services, agrees.

“It is so good to see a flax-roots programme develop into a comprehensive programme that is embedded at the University.”

Student Services Director Claire Gallop says Locals has firmly cemented itself as an important part of Student Services.

It works closely with other services to provide wrap around care for students and upholds a “no wrong door” philosophy for supporting students, she says.

“It is fantastic that the programme is 10 years old, and its importance and longevity is testament to the hard work by the past and present Heads of Locals and the Student Leaders.

“The University is committed to the programme and is fortunate to have an excellent Head of Locals in Maya. We are looking forward to recruiting a permanent Deputy Head for the programme for 2024.”

For Pitcon, life has come in a full circle.

“I’ve been a part of the first Locals cohort, done every volunteer role, was the Deputy Head and am now the Head of Locals. It’s been my whole adult life. I wouldn't be who I am today without Locals.”

~ Kōrero by Sandra French, Adviser Internal Communications.