Sometimes a meaningful project is ready to move forward, but finding the time or capacity to progress it can be difficult.
Through Alike WA’s partnership with the McCusker Centre for Citizenship at The University of Western Australia, eligible not-for-profit and government organisations can host UWA student interns. Interns work on meaningful, community-focused projects.
Since becoming a strategic partner in 2023, Alike WA member organisations have hosted nearly 150 student interns.
What could an intern help with?
Students participating in the program come from a wide range of disciplines. These include psychology, business analytics, marketing, communications, public policy, law, information technology and data science.
This means internship projects can look very different depending on the needs of the organisation and the skills of the student.
You do not need to have everything worked out before getting in touch. If you have an idea, the McCusker Centre team can help you explore whether it could become a suitable internship project.
Internships in action
At Alike WA, we have seen first-hand how a well-matched internship can add useful capacity to an organisation.
Recent UWA interns have worked with our team on projects ranging from storytelling and resource development to data and reporting.
Ananya contributed 100 hours towards developing the new Dream it Forward storybook. Her work included helping to bring together stories of connection and peer support from communities across Western Australia.
Mereshah developed resources focused on charities and fundraising. These were shared with our Alike Minds Advisory Panel and will also contribute to resources available through Alike WA.
Another intern, Anushka, brought a different skill set to his placement. He designed and developed a data automation and reporting application to improve how Alike WA collects, analyses and visualises evaluation data from workshops and events.
These projects show how internships can respond to very different organisational needs. At the same time, students gain meaningful experience in the community sector.
Who can host an intern?
Organisations need to meet the McCusker Centre’s eligibility requirements to host an intern.
Eligible hosts are not-for-profit or government organisations with regular staff who can supervise an intern. They need to offer a meaningful project or activity that adds value to their organisation and allows the student to understand its broader community impact.
The project must provide at least 100 hours of work, along with an appropriate and safe work environment. Host organisations also need to provide supervision and feedback and complete a short evaluation at the end of the internship.
Current opportunity: Summer Intensive Internships
The McCusker Centre is currently accepting projects for its Summer Intensive Internship Round.
Internships run from November to December 2026, with students contributing 100 hours over approximately six weeks, typically around three days each week.
The McCusker Centre welcomes projects from eligible metropolitan, regional and remote organisations.
The summer round is popular with students and attracts applications from a broad range of disciplines, creating opportunities for organisations with many different kinds of projects.
Could an intern support your organisation?
If your organisation meets the hosting criteria and has a project in mind, the McCusker Centre team can help you explore whether an internship could be a good fit.
You can also get in touch if you are unsure what an intern could work on or need help developing the scope of a project.
Email: internships@mccuskercentre.uwa.edu.au
Phone: (08) 6488 1690