UWA student Conor O’Sullivan has contributed 100 hours to support initiatives for children with disabilities and older people to be more involved in our community through a unique McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship at not-for-profit group Inclusion Solutions.
The Bachelor of Commerce student, who majors in Business Law and Law and Society, was initially attracted to the internship program to gain professional experience but was struck by the impact of the work being done by Inclusion Solutions.
A highlight of Conor’s internship was supporting the promotion and delivery of the United Reds Football League, an integrated football league for children with and without disabilities to help involve more children in community activity.
Conor also consulted with clubs and community groups across Mandurah and Kalamunda as part of Inclusion Solution’s WayFairers project, an initiative that connects older members of the community with groups that can help them get more involved in their community after retirement.
Conor’s internship supervisor and Inclusion Solution Senior Inclusion Consultant, Adam Nankin, was impressed by Conor’s dedication to the internship role.
“Conor has been a huge asset to the team and the skills gained through the internship will follow him throughout his professional journey.” said Mr Nankin.
Conor says he “absolutely” plans to continue giving back to the community and now sees the not-for-profit sector as a pathway for his aspiring legal career.
“Through this internship I have successfully attained a position at Inclusion Solution’s sister organisation, Inclusion WA, where I will work as a mentor for people with disabilities to try and promote social inclusion in a one-on-one capacity, which I am very excited to begin.
“Interning at Inclusion Solutions showed me that whilst for many people there exists a difficult and scary barrier to social inclusion, there are many simple ways for everyone to make that barrier smaller,” said Conor.