INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES

The  McCusker Centre for Citizenship at TheUniversity of Western Australia  is the first of itskind in Australia.

The Centre was established in October 2015 with agenerous endowment  from the McCuskerCharitable Foundation.Since its award-winning internship program waslaunched, the Centre has forged partnerships withmore than 250 not-for-profit, community andgovernment organisations, including the publicsector. In mid-2020, it reached a milestone of morethan 1000 internships offered, contributing morethan 100,0000 hours in service to the community.

The Centre's contribution to the communityreaches beyond greater metropolitan Perth toregional, national, and international communities.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

PREVENTING FAMILY ANDGENDERED VIOLENCE INGERALDTON Page 9

OUR PURPOSE

To foster caring, connected and socially-engaged citizens who actively contribute to the

wellbeing of their communities.

OUR VISION

To create and foster community-mindedthinkers and leaders.

To inspire students and the UWA community,and the broader Western Australian community

to become active, life-long contributors to ourlocal, regional and global communities – and in

the process, encourage and support others todo likewise.

To promote awareness about challenging socialissues in our communities, and the contribution

citizens can make in addressing them.

JAN-JUN 2020

State Records Office of WA internMICHELLE LAMIntern Michelle Lam created a guide to the 1989State Cabinet records – which had previouslybeen restricted from public access for 30 years.

The UWA Law and Society student researched theimportant events of 1989 and reviewed therecords themselves.

“The element I enjoyed the most of my internshipwas the ability to look at how issues that areprominent today have previously been on thegovernment's agenda,” Ms Lam said.

“It is incredibly interesting to see how they wereaddressed by Cabinet and how their responseshave developed over time.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Ms Lam completedher internship from home.

“Michelle is motivated and adaptable, so theinternship experience for the State RecordsOffice of WA at this unprecedented time hasended up being excellent,” intern supervisorArchives Acting Director Gerard Foley said.

MATT BRYAN

RAJE NARANG

UWA Business Law student Matthew Bryanresearched and summarised case law forNational Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)disputes and built a database for solicitors anddisability advocates.

“Ultimately, I hope that my internship project willhelp people with disabilities to receive thefunding that they need to lead included, happyand meaningful lives,” Mr Bryan said.

“The NDIS is a developing area of law and areliable database of case law can be invaluable. This is a practical resource which can be of greatassistance in matters,” NDIS Appeals (Civil LawDivision) Solicitor and internship supervisorMargaret Irvine said.

Intern Raje Narang helped Reclink Australiamember agencies keep fit and active duringCOVID-19 self-isolation.

The UWA Psychology student coordinated theorganisation’s social media content by sharingdaily fitness videos, session ideas and activities.  

Reclink WA State Manager Sarah Kitis said MsNarang’s work had been “instrumental” insupporting their agencies to engage in sport andphysical activity during isolation.

“The support provided by Raje has been huge forour team,” Ms Kitis said.

Legal Aid WA intern

Reclink Australia intern

State Library of WA internLUCY CRASKEThe research project Lucy Craske worked onduring her internship at the State Library of WAhad an impressive global reach.

The UWA Economics and Management studentworked with fellow intern Katherine McKinnon toresearch the role of social services in a librarysetting.

They specifically looked at how to best tointegrate social work concepts, practices (andpotentially social workers themselves), into theState Library of WA’s ecosystem.

“I’ve spoken to many incredibly inspiringmembers of staff at the Library who have givenme an invaluable insight into the amazing workthey do for our community,” Ms Craske said.

State Library of WA Human Resources ManagerNadine Redmond said the literature reviewreport would be used to inform the review anddevelopment of the State Library’s servicedelivery models.

KISHEN GOBAL

ALINA EVANS

UWA Accounting and Finance student KishenGobal worked on the Integrity Dashboard Projectduring his Public Sector Commission internship.

Mr Gobal created the dashboard with MicrosoftExcel to be used to inform public authorities(state government agencies, local government,government trading enterprises and publicuniversities) about the categories of minormisconduct reported to the Commission.

“The internship was an excellent opportunity todevelop my skills by providing sufficient stretchwithout being overwhelming,” he said.

UWA Law and Society student Alina Evansworked on projects aimed at evaluating andimproving community welfare within Australia inboth local and regional communities.

Ms Evans helped develop a report that evaluatescommunity development roles in localgovernment, and also researched the impact ofarts networks around the world in order tomeasure the impact the arts have on remote andrural populations.

“Alina has responded incredibly well and hasremained positive, communicative andenthusiastic about her work,” Centre for SocialImpact Manager and National OperationsManager Kathryn Conway said.

Public Sector Commission intern

Centre for Social Impact intern

The internship has given me firsthand experience ofhow solving complex problems can have a profoundeffect on not only the organisation that you areworking with, but also the people and communitythat that organisation serves.”

Department of Education internDANIEL CHUAH

“The most rewarding part was all that Ilearnt, whilst meeting some amazing people.”

BRIDGET FLIS

SWASTIK CHAUHAN

UWA Neuroscience, and Biochemistry andMolecular Biology student Bridget Fliscompleted research on prospectiveAnglicare WA donors to help grant writersimprove their applications.

“I collated the data so it is easilyaccessible for the philanthropy team. Nowthey will be able to get in touch withprospective donors who may have aninterest in the amazing work thatAnglicare WA does,” Ms Flis said.

Intern Swastik Chauhan helped develop instructionmanuals and user guides for people with visionimpairment to use smartphone features and apps. 

The UWA Computer Science and Data Science studentalso worked on an analysis of the effect digital literacyhad on people with visual impairment. 

“I believe that my work during this internship will helpsupport people with visual impairment to exploreand navigate the world and their surroundings withmore ease,” Mr Chauhan said.

“In the long run,  it might make accessibility featuresmore useful and convenient for the community.”

Anglicare WA intern

Lions Eye Institute intern

Proposing ways the Department of Education couldengage young people to be “upstanders not bystanders”in the face of bullying was a rewarding experience forintern Daniel Chuah.

The UWA Commerce student wrote a series of “innovativeand creative” proposals for the first stage of theDepartment’s No Voice, No Violence campaign.

“I provided strong reasoning how those ideas will beuseful and effective in promoting upstander behaviour inthe community, especially in school. Ways of running thecampaign and potential problems the Department mayface was also listed in the proposals,” Mr Chuah said.

Gosnells Community Legal Centre internCHRIS SIMPSON

“Coming from years of classroom learning and getting grades; doingwork that I am competent doing and that tangibly benefits thecommunity around me was empowering,”

Thanks to Christopher Simpson’s internship project,Gosnells Community Legal Centre (GCLC) is one step closerto securing long-term funding to provide legal advice toIndigenous and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse victimsof family and domestic violence.

GCLC Managing Lawyer Patrick Mungar said UWA JurisDoctor student Ms Simpson produced an interim evaluationof the project, which is run at Armadale Health Service.

“If funding can be assured, GCLC will be able to continue ourservices to very vulnerable groups," Mr Mungar said.

POOJA RAMESHUWA Medical Science student Pooja Ramesh will benamed as an author of the research paper sheworked on during her internship at the GenderDiversity Service at Perth Children’s Hospital. 

Ms Ramesh's main responsibility was starting aliterature review on bone health research within thetrans and gender diverse (TGD) community.

Mental Health Senior Research Officer at the Childand Adolescent Health Service Cati Thomas saidPooja went above and beyond when it came time topresent her review to members of the GDS team.

“We were incredibly impressed with her efforts andinvited her to be an author on the paper,” she said.

Gender Diversity Service intern

Women’s Legal Service WA internKATHERINE SCOTTIntern Katherine Scott undertookprojects that have the potential toassist the organisation to expandthe Women’s Legal Service WA'sfunding and services.

The UWA Bachelor of Sciencestudent’s main project was toidentify possible funding sources forthe not-for-profit organisation fromphilanthropic, corporate, andgovernment sectors.

WLSWA Office Manager MeeganTaylor said Ms Scott made asignificant positive impact on itsability to determine potentialsources of funding, and tounderstand the funding landscapein WA.

“Her comparative analysis ofwomen’s community legal centresacross Australia was veryinsightful,” Ms Taylor said.

Teach for Australia internYUNA PRAWERTI “Interning at a non-profit has provided me experience

and opportunity where the classroom lacks."

WILLIAM CONTIFRANKLIN POWERSUWA Law and Society student William Contideveloped online resources (such as videosand info sheets) to help ConnectGroup’ssupport groups transition from face-to-faceto online groups during COVID-19.

ConnectGroups chief executive AntonellaSegre said Mr Conti’s responsibilities variedfrom week-to-week, based on the changingneeds of the organisation during thepandemic.

“As we saw things arise, we then asked himto action it,” Ms Segre said.

At the Shire of Gingin, intern Franklin Powers wrotea research report that identified new businessmanagement models for local community groupand club facilities.

The UWA Bachelor of Commerce student researchedthree local organisations as case studies tocomplete the report.

Shire of Gingin Community Development & ServicesCoordinator Jodie Mortadza said the report gaveexamples of business management models that maysupport the organisations’ “sustainability in thecurrent economic environment”.

ConnectGroups internShire of Gingin intern

During her internship, Yuna Prawerti worked toincrease awareness of Teach for Australia (TFA)amongst Federal Parliamentarians.

The UWA Pharmacology and Economics Major wroteto every Federal member with TFA teachers in theirelectorate to raise awareness about the program.

TFA Government Relations and Fundraising DirectorCraig Comrie said that, as a direct result of MsPrawerti’s letters, MPs have contacted TFA to learnmore about what they do. 

“Yuna was keen to learn, dedicated to her work andconducted herself professionally throughout theinternship,” Mr Comrie said.

Department of Health internJAMIESON KAY

“This experience has made me more passionate about diversionarystrategies for youth justice and in particular early interventionand prevention.”

Intern Jamieson Kay completed a research project toidentify the best practice for facilitating and communicatingstaff training via the Department of Health's online intranet.

“I liaised with departments and stakeholders in order tocome up with a concept and project plan that satisfied theDepartment's requirements and needs,” Ms Kay said.

The UWA Political Science student also worked on graphicdesign for the final version of the Department’s new intranetand created a project proposal for the task.

EMILY SCOTTDuring her Legacy WA internship, Emily Scotthelped organise marketing campaigns, writenewsletter articles, manage social media and runevents.

“Without the funds generated through marketinginitiatives, organisations such as Legacy wouldn'tbe able to help the vulnerable people in ourcommunities,” the UWA Economics and PoliticalScience and International Relations student said.

Marketing and Events Manager Tenielle Doutre saidMs Scott was “an asset to Legacy WA”.

“Emily’s positive attitude and willingness to learnand adapt to the changing circumstances are acredit to her work ethic,” Ms Doutre said.

Legacy WA intern

City of Gosnells internRANDI BECKUWA Law and Society Major RandiBeck completed a research report onprograms and services that theThornlie Library could implement toconnect and engage more effectivelywith young people in the  community.

Ms Beck suggested changes thatcould be made at the library includingnew programs and activities thatcould be introduced to attract youngpeople to visit the library and have apositive experience.

Youth Librarian and intern supervisorLeanne Fitzgerald said Ms Beck’sreport would be used to make budgetrequests to improve the library’sfacilities and services.

“Randi's research will help staff andvisitors better understand the teenswho visit our libraries,” Ms Fitzgeraldsaid.

HARRY OSBOURNE

Perth Festival internALEXANDRA LYONSUWA Master of Professional Engineering student Alexandra Lyonsconducted an environmental sustainability audit for the PerthFestival.

Ms Lyons provided estimations of the Festival’s carbon footprint,made recommendations on how they could reduce emissionsassociated with the Festival.She also produced an ‘emissions calculator’ to help future PerthFestival programmers understand the carbon footprint of variousdecisions and operation choices.

“By understanding where the bulk of our emissions are coming from,we can make informed actions to start reducing them,” she said.

MITCHELLPRATT

UWA Computer and Data Science student Harry Osbournehelped create visual tools to support the ongoing evaluation ofWungening’s services. Mr Osbourne made visual representations of the data andconceptual frameworks in order to increase communication andenhance engagement for the organisation’s internal andexternal stakeholders. Research, Evaluation and Impact Manager Linsey Andrews saidHarry produced a series of dashboards that visually told thestory of Wungening’s program outputs and outcomes. “This work supported us to create a picture of who we aresupporting, what we are doing, and how we are doing,” she said.

During his internship, UWABiomedical Science studentMitchell Pratt investigatedintergenerational stereotypeswithin WA society and theinfluence they have onyouth’s perception of agingand elderly people.

Mr Pratt and a fellow studentintern completed acomprehensive literaturereview and collated theresearch into a final report,which they then presented tothe executive team atBethanie.

“We recommended programsthat were especially relevantto Bethanie and could beapplied in WA to improve thegenerational divide, whichat the moment is disfiguringour society,” he said.

Wungening Aboriginal Corporation intern

Bethanie intern

“This experience has elevated thevantage point from which I base my

outlook on life.”

GWYNETH ANGGADJAJA

City of Stirling internJASMINE LAINGUWA Bachelor of Science student Jasmine Laing assessed employmentand community engagement opportunities for culturally and linguisticallydiverse (CALD) migrants and refugees at the Mirrabooka Welcome Hub.

Ms Laing wrote a series of reports that documented the City of Stirling’scurrent community engagement services and outlined best-practicemodels to improve refugee employment opportunities.

"The most rewarding aspect of my internship was to be contributingdirectly to society, and seeing the effects in action," she said.

“Jasmine set a high precedent with her professional but flexible attitude,hard work and very high skill in performing many various tasks,” WelcomeHubs Project Lead Samira Husic said.

GERALDTONINTERNS

UWA Law and Society student Gwyneth Anggadjaja'sinternship project was to support Communicare’sworkforce to be culturally diverse by researching,revising and updating the organisation’s currentMulticultural Action Plans (MAPs).

“Everyone (at Communicare) has been so encouragingand supportive; it was clear what was expected from meand I have strived to do my best,” Ms Anggadjaja said.

Communicare Settle In Coordinator Peta Byrne said theMAP was important because it “underpinned howCommunicare’s workforce embraced cultural diversity”within its teams, clients and participants.

Student interns GianinaNisperos, EstephanosOkbay and NehaNandicoori Geraldtonmade “rapid progress”developing a pilot onlinetraining package toprevent family andgendered violence.

WA Centre for RuralHealth Director SandraThompson said the trioassisted with researchand sourced relevantinformation aboutbystander interventions,developed an outline ofthe learning package, andeven commencedcreating the onlineprogram.

“They (the interns) werebright, receptive, diligent,hard-working and openand receptive to newlearning experiences,” MsThompson said.

Communicare intern

WA Centre for RuralHealth

Regional Early Education and Development internMADELENE BOOTH

ANDREWTHOMSON

Student intern Andrew Thomsoncompleted a research report aspart of the Ombudsman WA'sinvestigation into homelessness.

The UWA Master of InternationalDevelopment student researchedand reviewed internationalHousing First policies.

“My research brief will be used toprovide insight into homeless-ness initiatives that focus onproviding safe and permanenthousing as the first priority forpeople experiencing homeles-sness,” Mr Thompson said.

Ombudsman WA intern

Madelene Booth completed a number of research projects andgrant applications for the Wheatbelt region during her internship.

The UWA Biomedical Science student researched the Child CareSubsidy and prepared a document outlining the barriers thatIndigenous and farming families faced in applying for the subsidythrough Centrelink.

Ms Booth researched and drafted a grant application for a mobileservice to assist Wheatbelt families with their Centrelinkapplications, and also drafted an arts grand application.

“Madelene identified challenges and barriers Aboriginal and ruralfamilies encounter in accessing government systems and hersolutions have potential to contribute to real change," REEDGeneral Manager Kylie Helgesen said.

08 6448 7553www.mccuskercentre.uwa.edu.au

internships@mccuskercentre.uwa.edu.au

Internships are offered four times a year;summer and winter as an intensive, and insemesters 1 and 2.

UWA students can apply online via the McCuskerCentre for Citizenship website. If you areintersted in hosting an intern, please contactour Internships Team to discuss.

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