Emily Lee

I have been with the Callan Park Festival team for a month now as a Human Resources Assistant. The whole experience has provided me with insightful experience in being a part of the Human Resources department which is what my major at university is based upon. The team is extremely helpful, friendly and understanding; we’re more than welcome to ask for help if any queries arise.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to not only review candidates applications but also conduct interviews with them, which I believe has been valuable experience that is so rare in organisations today.
 
 I really enjoy the concept of the organisation being cyberbased where it’s accessible with the click of a few buttons but also provides me with the flexibility to carry on with my busy schedule. I am so grateful I have been given this once in a life time opportunity to not only contribute to such a worthy cause in society but also develop my career. I believe this experience has taught me more and that I have gained more experience in the field of Human Resources.
 

I cannot wait for the festival to begin in September and see the final result of our efforts.

Emily Lee

Andrew Nguyen

My training starts real soon, I look forward to learning more about my role as well as what I can do to help out the community.

 Andrew Nguyen

Genevieve Tse

I joined the Callan Park team as I support the cause of the organisation, to promote physical and mental health awareness to people as well as provide community support to those in need. I also believe that it would add to my personal and work experience which would be beneficial in terms of expanding my career opportunities.
 
I am currently a human resources assistant, involved in reviewing and interviewing new applicants who wish to join the organisation. The fact that Callan Park operates through cyberspace makes our work much easier and more efficient. Everyone in the team can access information and be informed of what everyone else is doing at any given time. This enhances our sense of involvement in the team. Moreover the use of gmail and skype enables us to save on travelling time and get more things done.

I personally feel that it creates a more relaxed atmosphere where things can be done much more flexibly, and being a full time university student with other commitments, it helps me to achieve that balance as well.
 
I believe that anyone who is interested in an internship with the Utopia Research Institute will find it interesting and unique and thus comes highly recommended.

Genevieve Tse

Tegan Realph

So far as being a Human resource assistant at Callan Park festival I have enjoyed the experience, I particularly like how practical it is as we are able to get hands on experience of doing interviews and recruiting, it is funny being on the other side of the table. 

 I joined Callan Park as I am in my final year of study doing a bachelor in business majoring in Human Resource Management and was keen to do some work experience and to work for the good cause. My role involves me reviewing and processing incoming candidate’s resumes and cover letters and also to interview them which has been a good thing to learn.

I like operating in cyberspace because your able to do your work in your own time you don’t need to go to an office, this has been particular helpful as I also have a paid job and university. Even though we use cyber space you always feel like you’re in contact with other colleagues as we use so many different methods such as facebook, email and Skype. Skype has been particularly helpful when conducting interviews as it’s easy to organise and is just like a phone but cheaper. Callan Park has given me a great deal of experience in human resource but has also allowed me to meet some really nice people and social network.

Tegan Realph

As an extremely new member of Callan Park, my passion in joining mainly comes from the information that I read from the website. I would love to be a part of this amazing cause to help find and provide early cure and detection for children and people with possible health or mental related illnesses. I think the mechanism of using the internet as a major communication tool is effective and fast. I have never used such a mechanism as a main instrument in my previous jobs hence this is new and fascinating to me.
 
I am a regular user of facebook and myspace and other cyperspace tools, and I think that using such tools to promote and spread the word on charitable projects are very sufficient as it gets to a mass of people in a short period of time.  I have only briefly used skype before I joined Callan Park, however I have always thought of skype as an easy to use and inexpensive tool for communication.

It is a pity that I am still in China and unable to attend the training program, as I would have loved to meet people that share this similar interest as me. I really can not wait to come back to Sydney to attend the training program and learn in more detail about the operations and goals of Callan Park.
Yue Zhou

Hi there,
 
This is Andrew and I will be graduating from my Architecture degree in 2 months. In my free time, I thought I’d help a worthy cause using the skills I have gained both in my studies and working career.

My position in Callan Park Festival is as a Creative Director assistant. So working with a great team (which I met and they are super cool and talented!) I’ll be involved in putting together designs, photo montages, posters, signage… anything that needs design work. And if you think no design work is needed in anything that we do in life… think again. Presentation is everything!

 I look forward to being able to promote this event and the work of the organisation so that people can be helped and find a great place to enjoy life with their families at Callan Park. I’m excited about the Callan Park Festival as its going to be BIG and more importantly its an event that will benefit the community and indeed the rest of Sydney.
Andrew Kulasingham

Lauren Drake

My position with Callan Park is part of the Environmental Research team. I am currently studying Environmental Science at university, and am very interested in environmental issues, promoting sustainability in every day life, and policies.

I admire the Utopia Research Institute for aspiring to be a sustainable organization that aims to provide top notch research on mental health, and raise awareness of mental health. I hope I will be able to assist them in achieving this goal.

I strongly believe in the power of an active society that aims to change values through the raising of awareness. Promoting environmental sustainability in this context is necessary, and will be influential. We will be working towards sustainable development on a global scale.

Lastly, I hope to also learn about urban environmental issues, and the monitoring and regulation that is involved. I haven’t had much experience with this first hand and hope to improve on it.

- Lauren Drake

Magdalena Damayanti

Hi! My name is Magdalena Damayanti but you can call me Lena. I am the director of the Creative Department. If you are reading this blog, it means you are either interested in knowing more about me or the Creative Department.

I’ll start with myself: I am Indonesian, and my background is in architecture and interior design. I have been working in design and construction companies for several years. I joined this organisation because I love festivals, and was also interested in using my skills and knowledge in a good way.

The Utopia Research Institute’s Creative Department was established to add splashes of creativities to the Callan Park Festival. Basically, we work together with other departments by giving them creative assistance, products, and solutions.

We are currently looking for interns to do creative projects; so if you love creative stuff, have a design background, or would just like to expand your skills to get more experience, then you will be the right person to join our team.

I look forward to working together with you. I hope to see you getting involved in a great event!

- Magdalena Damayanti

Pasan Dayasena

I believed the Human Resources Assistant position for the Callan Park Festival would provide me with valuable opportunity to experience the practical aspects of Human Resource Management.

The orientation and training programs, which were conducted by the HR director and the executives, equipped us with essential skills and knowledge that was needed to perform our duties.

Because it was a really friendly environment I found it easy to adapt and adjust myself in the HR department.

When we are assigned duties, the HR director helps me with all the problems I come across, and guides me on how I should complete my duties effectively and efficiently.

It should also be mentioned that constant motivation and inspiration is provided by the director. When the assigned tasks are completed, the Director, or executives, will review them.

I believe our team works well together; we are a transparent organisation. It is always good to ask questions because no questions are silly; we all learn from each other.

I cannot wait for the festival to begin, and am excited to see where it all goes. Hence, I am proud to be a member of this organisation.

- Pasan Dayasena

I am currently working as an HR Assistant for the Callan Park Festival team. I applied for this position because I am currently studying something related to it, and it will be beneficial later on when starting a career in the human resources industry.

I previously had no experience with human resources work, but the things that I have been learning in this internship have been interesting and enjoyable.

Being in the HR team has given me opportunies to meet the interns in other departments. The learning that is done with other team members, such as interviewing, has been fun and challenging.

This internship is delivered in a unique way that is different to other internships. Most of the work is done at home, providing flexibility with working hours, and HR work can be completed quickly and efficiently.

There are many opportunities for people who want to gain experience. They will get help with their future careers, and learn about being part of a team in this festival. They will also be contributing to a good cause.

- Derek Ko