The McCusker Centre for Citizenship at UWA was established in late 2015 with a generous endowment from the McCusker Charitable Foundation and a mission to provide opportunities for students to make practical contributions to addressing challenges in the wider community.

Aligning with UWA’s founding principle to advance the welfare of the community, the Centre’s internships act as a structured pathway for students to develop a sense of civic responsibility and lifelong active citizenship – encouraging participants to view themselves as active contributors to societal change, regardless of their career pathway.

Image: McCusker Centre for Citizenship Advisory Committee members with students and Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma at the launch of the UWA McCusker Chair in Citizenship.

From the beginning, the Centre has fostered collaboration between community, industry partners and students. Starting with a small intake of 16 interns in early 2016, the Centre has now facilitated more than 3,600 internships with more than 500 partner organisations, for students from every study discipline across UWA. This rapid increase in demand reflects the desire many students now have for a deeper purpose than just academic or career achievement.

For Gary Rantetadung, who interned with the Australian Council on Smoking and Health during the final semester of his Master of Public Health degree, the program was the real-world culmination of theory and practice.

“In this internship, I was not only learning, gaining professional experience and networking,” Gary explains.

Image: Gary Rantetadung at the Australian Council on Smoking and Health.

It was an opportunity to serve the community and contribute as an active citizen using the skills and knowledge gained during university.

The enthusiasm of students wanting to understand contemporary social challenges and their drive to create positive change also leaves a profound impression on the program’s community partners.

Tim Bray, CEO of the Gascoyne Development Commission, hosted interns for the first time in 2024 and found the experience mutually beneficial, seeing the interns as new ambassadors for the region, taking with them broad insights into its potential for growth and overcoming challenges like climate extremes.

“This was an invaluable opportunity to see our region and its opportunities through the eyes of skilled young professionals with new ideas,” Tim says.

“Their work, ambition and input, as well as their drive to experience the region to the maximum, makes us look forward to future interns from the program.”

While an impressive 97 per cent of students and community partners report they would recommend the program to their peers, its true impact is perhaps most acutely evidenced in the stories of its alumni.

UWA Juris Doctor graduate Helena Trang undertook an internship with the Museum of Freedom and Tolerance, while also chairing the Centre’s Student Advisory Committee, and credits her internship for inspiring a career in social policy which has seen her work on a range of projects for state and federal governments, as well as large philanthropic groups and not-for-profit organisations.

“My passion is in tackling social policy problems across education and youth justice in Australia,” explains Helena, now based in Melbourne with Mandala Partners. “The Centre provided me with a network of like-minded individuals and organisations which strongly shaped my career interests.”

In recognition of the Centre’s growth and impact in the community, UWA recently announced Michelle Scott OAM, Director of the McCusker Centre for Citizenship, as the inaugural McCusker Chair in Citizenship, following a further endowment from the McCusker Charitable Foundation. Together with an increased contribution from UWA, this will allow more students to participate in the Centre’s programs.

The establishment of the McCusker Chair in Citizenship reflects the value UWA places on students becoming good citizens in their communities, securing its ability to meet growing student and community demand for generations to come.

Read the full issue of the Summer 2024 edition of Uniview [Accessible PDF 12MB].