UWA Software Engineering student Brandon Ke has helped Legacy WA use social media to foster advocacy and support for the WA veteran community through a McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship.
Brandon applied for the McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship program with the hope of gaining professional experience with a positive community impact.
“I decided to apply to an internship with the McCusker Centre because I thought that it would introduce me to new work experiences and help me understand what it was like working in a professional environment. I thought that working with a not-for-profit organisation would be an interesting approach to this,” said Brandon.
The internship saw Brandon undertake a social media role at Legacy WA, a not-for-profit organisation that provides support, community engagement and advocacy for veterans and their families, from relieving financial hardships and providing social connection services through to offering developmental opportunities.
“I researched ways to expand the Legacy WA community and spread awareness using social media; it could be from how other organisations use it or thinking of new ways of engaging with our audience,” said Brandon.
“The internship made me think about what I could do that would benefit Legacy WA, whether that be tactics that they would be expecting to use or introducing new strategies that would also help benefit them in more efficient ways,” he said.
Despite the challenge of a mid-internship lockdown, Brandon adapted to working from home, keeping in touch with his supervisors and team through email.
Brandon says the internship experience was “rewarding” and that he gained a better understanding of professional working environments, especially those committed to supporting communities and tackling social issues.
“I think this helped me get a better understanding on what it is like to be in a [professional] working environment when trying to solve real life problems and issues,” said Brandon.
Brandon recommends the McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship program to other UWA students.
“For anyone that wants to have a unique working experience, especially one that is non-profit, I would recommend [the internship program] to them,” says Brandon.