ENACTUS is a student club working on community projects with the purpose of improving the quality of life and standard of living for people. With over 10 executive members and approximately 70 general members, they are currently working on their project “Suited Up” which supports those experiencing disadvantages with their goal of entering the workforce.
Joseph and many of his team mates initially got involved with ENACTUS out of their own desire to broaden their university experience. Chris, the Vice President, said that he wanted to do more than “just the standard get your degree done, pass and move on,” and that once he became involved and saw the change that he was affecting, he only wanted to do more.
Mary, ENACTUS Head of Marketing, who is studying a double major in marketing and advertising found that working in ENACTUS allowed her to collaborate with students from other disciplines, preparing her for real-life work situations. While Dakota, ENACTUS Project Leader, saw it as an opportunity to utilise what he was learning in his degree in a practical setting.
Being involved with ENACTUS isn’t just about volunteering to give back to your community, it provides students the opportunity get out of the university safety net and into the community. Here they meet with people from diverse backgrounds, different demographics and different life challenges. This gives students a wider perspective of life as well as helping them learn tolerance, patience and understanding to communicate and connect with people unlike themselves.
Some students may question why they would spend so much time on something when you’re not getting paid for it or if it’s taking away from their studies. To that Chris says that “the people you meet, the connections you make, and the opportunities that open up to you make it worthwhile. You get a lot out of it without realising it.”
The team detailed that the beauty of working in a team as large as ENACTUS meant that they were able to share the workload, and because everyone is so passionate about the projects they are working on, it doesn’t feel like just another task to get done. “You want to be involved and do your bit,” says Mary.
The biggest lesson Joseph said he has learnt from his experience with ENACTUS is that you must “seek out your own success,” that just because you do your time and get your degree doesn’t mean you leave university with the guarantee that you are going to be employed. It is the experiences, relationships and skills your form alongside you academic coursework that truly set you apart in the eyes of potential employers.
Find out more about how you can get involved with ENACTUS Curtin.
