Raffael Di Bartolomeo: A Career-Changing Experience
Before deciding to enrol in the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at The University of Western Australia, Raffael had been working in the non-profit space and roles connected to social impact for about 20 years. With an aspiration to progress in his career and a keen interest in social change, Raffael decided to take the next step in his professional development.
“The Centre for Social Impact has a great reputation and I thought it would be a great place to go for my career, but also, for me, personally, for me to really develop myself.”
A COMMUNITY OF LIKE-MINDED CHANGEMAKERS
“I feel the biggest highlight of the course is the community that you become a part of. There's the lecturers, but also your fellow students, some of them I consider really close friends. And I feel like that it really allowed me to be part of something greater than myself. And I'm still catching up with those people now and considering what we can do as far as making further social change in the areas that we work in.”
Practical Applications of the Social Impact Course
Raffael says that he was able to implement all the learnings from the course immediately in his service and social design role at Neami National , an organisation that provides mental health, suicide prevention and homelessness support nationally, working to strengthen wellbeing in communities.
Taking the course enabled him to broaden his impact and step into other areas within the organisation, and more importantly within communities that he worked with.
“I've been very fortunate that I’ve moved into a more senior role within the organisation I work for, and feel that it was directly related to completing the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact .”
“I encourage people to apply and do the course. It's a great group of people, a very welcoming and safe environment to go in and learn, to connect with others, to listen and also to realise that you actually know quite a bit as well. If you're looking to take not just your career, but yourself forward, I really recommend doing the course.”
Learn more about studying a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact (UWA)