Griffith Community Internship Program

Awards for Programmes that Enhance Learning

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All Griffith University students have a unique opportunity to participate in the innovative Community Internship, course achieving personal and professional transformations through volunteering in not-for- profit organisations, while studying a purposefully designed curriculum with a focus on human rights, citizenship and social equality. The course has designed an academic support model which ensures students of all capabilities and capacities can succeed in their internship. This approach results in graduates of influence who continue contributing to their community as volunteers after the completion of the course. The course provides a sustained and demonstrably effective, whole-of- university approach to concurrently enhance students’ employability and their on-going civic engagement. This highly accessible university-community partnership has facilitated transformative personal and professional development of a diverse range of students and achieved high levels of engagement and contribution from community organisations. Since 2012 over 2300 students have achieved personal and professional growth while providing over 120,000 hours of volunteering to almost 400 community organisations. The course has grown from availability as a free-choice elective; to be included as a core or listed/recommended elective in over 70 discreet undergraduate or postgraduate programs. The innovative approach has attracted significant interest across the sector as an exemplar of transformative work-integrated learning.