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WA Philanthropist Nicola Forrest stressed the importance of investing in early education when she addressed students and graduates from the UWA Business School's Centre for Social Impact.

Speaking as part of the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact Alumni Conference, Ms Forrest shared her experiences as CEO of the Minderoo Foundation, which aims "to help all Australians, particularly children and Indigenous Australians, to dream way beyond what their current circumstances and expectations might allow."

Minderoo Foundation includes the Australian Children's Trust; GenerationOne, a national movement focused on ending Indigenous disparity in Australia through employment; the Walk Free Foundation, a global organisation focused on ending modern slavery; and Hope for Children, an international aid organisation focused on development projects in Ethiopia.

Over the day, alumni of the UWA Business School's Centre for Social Impact shared their personal and professional stories about working in pro bono, philanthrocapitalism and microfinance- all while travelling through Australia, Nepal, Egypt, Cambodia and across the globe!

The WA Museum also walked Conference attendees through the Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures exhibition to demonstrate community impact in a global setting.

During the afternoon, attendees took part in a consulting session, working on cases for the United Nations International Women's Day Collaboration, Ashburton Aboriginal Corporate Investment Fund, Film and Television Institute's Indigenous Stories Project, and Useful Inc. - Bit Help Mob.

Graduate Certificate in Social Impact graduate Kat Clements found the day rewarding.

"We were really pleased with the day and would definitely like to do it again next year," Kat said.

"The sound bites from alumni were excellent - a great way to receive a lot of information in a short time. We heard from people working across a range of cause areas and sectors."

The Graduate Certificate in Social Impact Alumni Conference was held on 5 December 2014 and sponsored by the UWA Business School Centre for Social Impact, WA Museum Foundation and Knowledge Society.

Media references

Karen Della Torre (UWA Business School)    (+61 8) 6488 8538
Verity Chia (UWA Business School)    (+61 8) 6488 1346