Melville Cares through a partnership with the McCusker Centre for Citizenship at UWA has so far provided 17 students with the opportunity to undertake an internship that has real benefit for the local community.
Melville Cares CEO Maria Davison said the organisation continues to host interns because of the value they bring.
“The students’ willingness to be part of the team, to understand what we’re doing, and their ability to take on information quickly… and deliver good outcomes,” she said.
Recent internships highlight the positive examples of the contribution students can make.
Bachelor of Human Science (Neuroscience) student Maggie Resuggan worked with the Caresong community choir, a program supporting people living with dementia. Her role focused on producing a short video to help share the choir’s impact with the broader community.
A highlight of her internship was attending weekly choir sessions and getting to know participants.
“I was able to see how much this weekly activity means to them… participants were often telling me it was their favourite part of their week,” she said.
Her work captured how community-based activities can support wellbeing, particularly for people living with dementia.
“The video showcases the benefits of the choir to those living with dementia and their carers… it gives them a way to tell their stories.”
Master of Professional Engineering (Mining) student Romnic Stephen contributed to the development of end-of-life workshop videos and a supporting workbook, helping make complex and sensitive topics more accessible.
“It was meaningful to contribute to a project that may help individuals and families better understand sensitive topics around end-of-life care,” he said.
“The videos and workshop resources help make difficult topics easier to understand and discuss.”
For Melville Cares, these projects not only support service delivery but also contribute to longer-term planning and community engagement.
“We’ve had interns look at unmet need in the community, evaluate services, and help us understand where there are gaps,” Maria said.
“Things like storytelling, data analysis, or evaluating services all help us better respond to the community.”
Interns also bring new perspectives and skills to the organisation.
“They bring a different flavour in terms of diversity and perspective,” Maria said.
“Coming into a sector they’re not aware of and applying their skills—that’s exciting to us.”
Hosting interns has also become a way for Melville Cares to support the next generation of professionals.
“The team have really enjoyed supporting young professionals… we want more people to come into aged care and community services,” she said.
Board Chair, Andrew Schox says that the Board and Executive are highly supportive of hosting students and mentoring the ongoing development of skilled professionals to join the aged care sector. “It’s an investment in supporting our sustainability and highlighting this is a great sector,” he said.
Students often begin their internships feeling unsure but build confidence over time.
“At the start, they can be quite nervous, particularly when we talk about presenting their work,” Maria said.
“But by the end, you see how confidently they share their ideas and contribute to the team.”
For students like Maggie and Romnic, the experience provided both practical skills and a broader understanding of community impact.
“I feel like it helped me get out of my comfort zone and grow important skills that I can take into my future workplaces,” Maggie said.
Romnic said the internship helped him develop both technical and communication skills in a real-world setting.
“It gave me experience working in a professional environment and collaborating with different people on a real project,” he said.
Maria said that while hosting interns requires some structure and planning, the return is significant.
“The benefit you get back is much greater than the time you put in,” she said.
Image:
Back row left to right: Helen Marshall (Care Partner), Maria Davison (CEO), Sachi, Romnic and Maggie (Interns) and Nicole Burrows (Care Partner).
Front row left to right: Emeritus Professor Davina Porock (Innovation and Care Advisor), Nathan Hewett (Care Partner) and Barbara Goodwin (McCusker Centre for Citizenship).