Today is my last day as an intern at SVA, and I can say it has been an amazing experience. Since the first day I realised that the things going on at this place were great, and you could feel that in the atmosphere. Smart and inspiring people, working on different projects with a common goal: make Australia a better place. Challenging work started from day one, but it’s a great feeling to wake up in the morning knowing you can change lives in the next eight hours, and looking forward to learn from some of the smartest and caring people I have ever met.

As part of my work in the consulting team, I was assigned to find ways to use IT to measure social impact. This involved meetings, phone calls and hours of research with all kinds of experts, which allowed us to deeply understand the topic and provide the right advice to our clients. Some interesting alliances and collaborations came along the way, after realizing the size of the market and the interest of several non-profits. As the days passed, I learnt a lot of things that will be a significant help when I go back to Mexico, my home country, and continue working in my social enterprise. Now I feel more prepared to take the business to the next level, as I learned the power of measurement and evaluation to achieve better and more sustainable outcomes.

There was plenty of time for fun too. In my time here, I got to have a beer in the tallest bar in Melbourne, experienced an Aboriginal inauguration ceremony, and enjoyed a cocktail provided by former homeless people involved with STREAT, one of the many organisations supported by SVA. Even though I may have been the worse player in the history of the team, with my biggest achievement being a soccer style kick, I even got to play footy!

Without a doubt, I will tell my grandchildren some great stories from my time in SVA and the few months I spent here working for a better Australia. It’s been an honour.

[Antonio Nuno was an intern with the Melbourne SVA Consulting team.]