The McCusker Centre for Citizenship at UWA celebrated a major milestone recently – with the total number of internships undertaken through the Centre reaching 2,500.
Established in 2015 with a generous endowment from the McCusker Charitable Foundation, the Centre offers a range of programs including its award-winning internship program.
Through these 2,500 internships, undertaken with more than 400 partner organisations across community and non-profit sectors as well as Local and State Government, UWA students have contributed more than 270,000 hours to projects that benefit WA communities.
Many more industry and community partners have joined with the Centre over the last three years to offer internship opportunities for students, including strategic partners, the WA Public Sector Commission, Local Government, Regional Development Commissions, Telethon Kids Institute, National Disability Services, the WA Council of Social Service and the Youth Affairs Council.
Matthew Little, studying an Arts double major in Political Science and International Relations, and Law and Society, is one recent alumna of the Internship Program, where he supported the work of the WA Council of Social Service (WACOSS) working on the organisation’s Equity Project.
In his internship, Matthew assisted WACOSS in developing their approach to equity and poverty, efforts that saw him nominated for the Outstanding Intern Award.
“The internship experience is incredibly rewarding – it gives you practical experience which can count as a unit towards your degree, the opportunity to network with industry professionals, and a chance to give back to your community,” Matthew said.
“My internship experience has made me a more socially conscious person who feels ready to engage in their community to help bridge the gap and help others achieve their full potential,” he said.
Aimee Donaldson is another recent intern with the program, supported the work of the Working with Children Check Engagement Team with the Department of Communities.
“My main project was editing a two-and-half minute video, which will be used on a new website later this year, and I also contributed to the content of shared factsheet documents,” Aimee said.
“Understanding the complicated legislation and reshaping it to be consumable to the everyday audience was one challenge… I learned and mastered two completely new sets of editing software,” she said.
Jo Gibbs, Senior Community Engagement Officer with the Department, said Aimee made a “substantial contribution at a time of significant change”.
“Her support in making the legislative amendments more understandable and accessible to the public was essential to the project,” said Ms Gibbs.
McCusker Centre for Citizenship Director Michelle Scott said that, with the positive feedback about the internship program (97 percent of interns and 96 percent of organisations recommending the program to others), it was clear that the program was helping achieve the Centre’s purpose of UWA students becoming community-minded, active citizens.
“It is inspiring to see students undertake internships, and grow in their skills, confidence and passion for making a positive impact,
“I am extremely grateful to all of the organisations who have supported the program as partners, hosting interns and providing them with opportunities to give back, and to develop as active leaders in our community,” she said.
Feature image: McCusker Centre for Citizenship Student Advisory Committee members meet in March 2023.