The Disability and Culturally Diverse Internship Program is a partnership between Accessible Arts, Diversity Arts Australia, and a range of arts, cultural and screen organisations across NSW and the ACT. The legacy of this program will be a network of cultural access consultants who will help improve access to arts, culture and community events for people with disability from underrepresented culturally diverse backgrounds.

What does the Paid Internship include?

The paid Disability and Culturally Diverse Internship Program includes training (customised disability and cultural diversity awareness workshops as well as small business start-up workshops), ongoing business start-up and creative sector networking support beyond training, and work experience at two organisations.

We will be selecting eight applicants who identify as both a person with disability and/or d/Deaf as well as culturally and linguistically diverse/person of colour. This is an exciting opportunity to gain valuable insights into the kinds of organisations and work available in the arts and cultural sector, whilst forming connections as emerging creative sector workers.

The selected interns will be paid $30 per hour.

What areas will the interns work in?

The paid internships will be in a variety of creative and technical areas depending on which two arts and cultural organisations each intern is matched with. Areas include marketing, curating, production, front of house, arts administration, public programs, writing, producing, and editing within music, visual arts, theatre, and publishing. A work program will be developed based on the skills and interests of each participant, alongside the opportunities and requirements of the organisation. Matching interns with their first preference for host organisations may not be possible.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any NSW or ACT-based person over the age of 18 who identifies as both a person with disability and/or d/Deaf and culturally and linguistically diverse/person of colour, who have been actively engaged in or seeking career opportunities in the arts, screen and cultural sector is eligible.

Applications are encouraged from people with all levels of previous experience, including those new to the workforce.

• Person with disability includes anyone with sensory or physical conditions, learning disability, chronic illnesses, mental health conditions or who is neurodivergent.
• Culturally and linguistically diverse/person of colour includes those who identify as Black, migrant and those of refugee backgrounds.

Access Requirements

All interns will be provided with assistance prior to starting and during their internship, matched to their individual access requirements.

When will the internships be run and for how long?

Settlement Services International’s Ignite Ability Small Business Start-ups workshops will run in November-December 2021 (2 × 3-hour sessions), Accessible Arts workshops will run in December 2021 (3 × 1.5-hour sessions), and Diversity Arts Australia workshops will run in January-February 2022 (2 × 2-hour sessions). Occasional event-related and networking opportunities may fall outside of this.

Work experience with two host organisations will be two days per week for six weeks each, totalling twelve weeks, and will commence in January 2022. If adjustments are required to shorten the number of hours per week, then the work experience period may extend until May – July 2022.

Selection Criteria

• Must identify as both a person with disability and/or d/Deaf and culturally and linguistically diverse/person of colour
• Interest and enthusiasm as an emerging cultural or creative sector worker
• Engaged in disability, neurodiversity and racial justice discourse
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently
• Competency in Microsoft Office applications
• Nurturing some form of creative/arts/crafts practice (desirable but not essential)

Applications have now closed. Applicants will be notified in due course about their applications.

Image description: Six people who vary in ethnicity (as indicated by differing skin tones and hair textures) and gender expression sit around a conference table listening intently in a modern office.