Alongside a community of passionate people
Image caption: Jason (far right) with Westpac colleagues and the Worldview team at a strategy day.
Westpac employee Jason Chuang grew up in post-apartheid South Africa. It was the experience of witnessing unfair treatment of people that led him to wonder how he might bring humility back to the community.
He founded a small start-up in South Africa in 2009 to help people experiencing disadvantage improve their employability. Fast forward 11 years, and now Jason is a pro bono volunteer for Worldview Foundation, an organisation that provides holistic programs and employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians who’ve had contact with the justice system. Worldview Foundation was awarded a $50,000 social enterprise grant from Westpac Foundation in December 2019.
Jason first became involved with Worldview Foundation through Westpac Foundation’s Board Observership Program. In addition to his day job as a Service Owner in Westpac’s Chief Digital & Marketing Office, Jason spent 12 months attending the Worldview Foundation Board meetings as an observer and at the same time sharing his skills and energy.
“As a board observer, I had opportunities to learn about board governance and decision-making. I was also given the opportunity to help the Board to reshape its strategy and business plans for the next 24 months,” said Jason.
Jason has recently become a permanent fixture on the Worldview Foundation Board, as a non-executive Director. Something he describes as “an exciting journey to grow alongside a community of passionate people.”
Executive Director & Founding Member of Worldview Foundation, Jamie Miller, said Jason provided the right perspective at the right time.
"Jason brought an independent perspective and raised questions which assisted our strategic decision making and focused our objectives. This included hosting a strategy day at Westpac with our broader advisory team.
“Jason’s integrity, strategic thinking and focus have strengthened our board and we are looking forward to working with him in the next phase in our growth.”
Westpac employees like Jason contributed 8,590 hours of pro bono support to Westpac Foundation’s community partners in 2019. And it’s a win-win relationship. Not only did 95% of our community partners say the support helped them be more effective, 98% of employees found the experience rewarding and 94% found it contributed to their professional development.
“Being able to contribute to the greater good is truly amazing. The sense of achievement and seeing how people have grown through Worldview’s help is just second to none. They’ve also helped me to look at things more holistically,” said Jason.
During National Volunteer Week, we’d like to thank the 500 Westpac employees who provided pro bono support to the Foundation’s community partners last year. It’s because of you that our community partners can create even greater impact.
National Volunteer Week (18-24 May 2020) is the annual celebration to acknowledge the generous contribution of our nation’s volunteers. The 2020 theme is Changing Communities, Changing Lives.
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