Students at Burton and Garran Hall at ANU have gathered together countless times over games of ping pong.
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But few games will have the significance, or the length, as the one planned for next weekend.
A team of almost 50 students will be playing the sport for 24 hours straight as part of the Ping Pong-A-Thon.
The event aims to raise money to help victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in south-east Asia. The team’s organiser Rachel Djoeandy said the event is a way to raise awareness to an often forgotten issue.
“It gives people, especially young men, a tangible way to hear about the problems and issues in the world,” she said.
“Often people don’t know how to react to it or take action.”
While the Ping Pong-A-Thon is now in its sixth year, this is the first time a team will take part from the ACT.
There will also be a second team taking part at the Mosaic Baptist Church in Belconnen between October 21 and 22.
While the event goes for 24 hours, participants won’t have to spend the entire day playing ping pong.
“It’s a 24-hour relay. Each group can play for at least three hours,” Ms Djoeandy said.
The third-year Law and Arts student said she became involved in the fundraiser after spending time volunteering at the International Justice Mission (IJM), which works to stop human trafficking overseas.
“I started up an International Justice Mission Society at ANU this year and IJM was one of the organisations supported by the Ping Pong-A-Thon,” Ms Djoeandy said.
“I like being involved in the social justice side of things and because I was living on campus, I thought it would be a good thing to do at uni.”
Since the Ping Pong-A-Thon began in 2011, more than $400,000 has been raised for the cause. It’s estimated more than 3000 people across 60 groups will take part in the event.
While the student admits her ping pong skills aren’t the greatest, she said she’s willing to give the fundraiser everything she’s got.
“I hardly ever play ping pong, so I’m going to take my three-hour shift as my practise.”