Amy Vinicombe, studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Anthropology and Sociology at UWA, recently contributed 100 hours to the work of Community Employers WA (CEWA) through a McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship.
“As a Policy and Advocacy intern, I undertook research and wrote advocacy material for funding indexation in the community sector.
“By helping Community Employers WA advocate for appropriate indexation for funding across this sector, I played a part in supporting these organisations to continue to provide essential services to the community in sustainable ways,” Amy said.
During her internship Amy also helped to manage membership data and said that researching and co-writing material that was published online by CEWA was a highlight of her internship experience.
Tim Grey-Smith, CEWA Executive Director, said that Amy’s contribution had a meaningful impact on their advocacy efforts, and he had been in touch with Amy after the internship to let her know that the WA Government had agreed to review their indexation formula.
“Amy’s work was of a very high quality and her efforts benefitted the entire community services sector.
“Amy was a diligent and considered intern, she was genuinely interested in the issues CEWA was trying to solve, and this commitment flowed through into her work,” Mr Grey-Smith said.
“The internship helped me utilise my research and writing skills and put them to practice in the organisation,” Amy said.
“As well as studying, I am already working in the community services sector, and this internship provided me with a broader picture of the community services sector at large, how organisations collaborate and work with various levels of government to provide services.”