While undertaking her Bachelor of Commerce at UWA, Grace Light recently had the opportunity to do her part to tackle global issues through an internship with the McCusker Centre for Citizenship.
Grace undertook her internship with a leading international advocacy organisation, Global Citizen, applying her skills and expertise as a Policy and Advocacy Intern.
“I worked primarily on developing relationships with the Pacific Island nations to work on key issues, particularly improving opportunities for girls and women,” Grace said.
“This internship changed my perspective.”
“When researching the rights of women and girls in pacific nations it was evident how little support and resources they have available to them, and really opened my eyes to how we need to be supporting these nations more,” she said.
“Throughout my internship I was able to be involved with many areas of the organisation,
“I assisted with the polio campaign advocacy work, supporting the Partnerships & Policy Advisor to gain support from Members of Parliament for the Global Citizen's 'End Polio Now' campaign,” Grace said.
Contacting Members of Parliament asking for support on the polio campaign was a new experience for Grace, and something she said she both enjoyed and learned a lot from.
William Naughton-Gravette, Grace’s supervisor at Global Citizen, praised her achievements throughout the internship.
“Grace has provided very useful research work which will go on to help inform our campaign work in the [Pacific] region,
“She was also very helpful in conducting political advocacy work as part of our campaign to secure Australia’s re-investment in polio eradication,” he said.
“This internship allowed me to put my skills from my studies into practice, as well as developing new skills and experiences that I will carry through to my studies and future career,” Grace said.
“I was able to gain experience in data analysis and project coordination; I was also able to experience working with a team on a project and how important everyone’s input and ideas are.
“The most rewarding aspect of my internship was the exposure to humanitarian issues that I was unaware were still prevalent, particularly polio,” she said.