UWS partnership project wins Zest Award

Leaving your home and travelling to another country to live can be an overwhelming experience. One of the most important – and daunting – tasks for new migrants is finding a job.

Renu Narchal, a lecturer and Academic Course Advisor to fourth-year and post-graduate diploma psychology students within the School of Sciences and Psychology (opens in a new window), established a community engagement project, called Each One Assist One, within the Learning Through Community Service unit. The project was developed through UWS in partnership with The Community Migrant Resource Centre at Parramatta, formerly known as The Hills Holroyd Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre, where UWS students helped new migrants in their quest for work.

The project was recently awarded the Zest Award for Exceptional Community Partnership in a Local Government Area.  Zest awards celebrate the extraordinary work done by the community sector in Greater Western Sydney (GWS). The judging panel consisted of representatives from Local Community Services Association, Council of Social Services of New South Wales, Collaborative Research Networks, Youth Action and Policy Association and Western Sydney Community eForum. To be awarded, the project must provide evidence of how stakeholders have worked in partnership to achieve an extraordinary outcome and demonstrate the positive impact in GWS within a specific LGA.  The project had previously been awarded two Vice-Chancellor Excellence Awards for Community Partnerships.

As part of the project, students were granted work placements within the Centre. “Students provided one-on-one assistance to new migrants, in particular providing assistance with writing cover letters and putting together résumés,” says Renu. The project was successful, with the work of the students resulting in calls for interviews and even some job offers. And the experience was beneficial for students, too. “They reflected on their experience to develop a portfolio. Once they completed their studies, some students involved in the process were employed as consultants or got jobs with local councils,” says Renu. “It was truly a community engagement project with benefits to the organisation, students, community and UWS.”

The Exceptional Community Partnership in a LGA award had the most nominees (20) of all the Zest Awards. “Receiving the award was a big acknowledgement of the effort that has gone into helping and assisting our migrant community,” says Renu. “The award also means that the students’ work has been acknowledged.”

Renu says working at the University has afforded her great opportunities, particularly with the scope of her research. “I had three research contracts with Community Migrant Resource Centre through this partnership with UWS,” she says. “These are opportunities I would never have had otherwise.”

To find out more about the awards, including a full list of the winners, visit the Zest Awards website (opens in a new window).