Crystal Sing is in the final year of her Bachelor Biomedical Science degree at UWA and has been named as a recipient of the McCusker Centre for Citizenship’s Outstanding Intern Award for her contributions to disability support with Anglicare WA.
Assisting with the Shine project, Crystal helped to create a terms of reference for a group of people with disability, support workers and other staff involved in the Bridges Disability Program, who provide a voice to inform activities including Anglicare’s Child Safe/Youth Safe forums and Diversity & Inclusion Networking Group.
“The most rewarding part of my internship was getting to work with the participants in the Bridges Disability Program. Project Shine aims to give them a platform for their voices to be heard, to provide feedback on current programs and ideas for future services,” Crystal said.
“I was nervous about writing the terms of reference, I hadn’t done anything like this before, but Anglicare WA was an incredibly supportive, caring and educational environment, and I easily overcame my initial worries.
“As well as the terms of reference project, I also developed and designed flyers for different events and aided in writing pieces of a grant application for International Day of Disability initiatives. The internship inspired me to continue working with the community, giving me direction for my future career, and was one of the most beneficial things I have done in my time at university,” she said.
Valerie Gillian, Service Manager Bridges Disability Support at Anglicare, said that Crystal’s professionalism and positive contribution were welcome in the Bridges program and impressed Anglicare management staff across the organisation.
“Crystal had a lovely communication style which enabled participants of the group with disabilities, both verbal and non-verbal, to engage in a way that made them feel heard and safe, and they were willing to show their vulnerabilities due to her openness and genuine interest in their lived experiences,” Ms Gillian said.
Crystal is one of eight UWA students and recent graduates named as recipients of the Award and was selected from a strong field of 65 nominees who undertook internships from June 2023 to July 2024.
The Awards were presented today at UWA by McCusker Charitable Foundation Directors the Honourable Malcolm McCusker AC CVO KC CitWA and Judge Denis Reynolds AM, and Professor Tim Colmer, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UWA.
Image: Danielle Bennett, Team Lead with Anglicare WA's Bridges Disability Service, Outstanding Intern Award Recipient Crystal Sing, and Valerie Gillian, Service Manager, Bridges Disability Support Service at the McCusker Centre for Citizenship Outstanding Intern Award presentations on 10 October, 2024 at the University of Western Australia.