By CASEY NEILL
CAITLIN Hallett will spend 2015 in New York for the good of Dandenong.
The 21-year-old from Dandenong North will be among only four interns to work with the Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission in New York, USA, for 12 months from 8 January.
The unit works strongly with the United Nations and will immerse the former Carwatha College school captain in a project to improve women’s access to drug and alcohol addiction services.
“The idea is whatever project I do over there I bring back to the salvos over here and we roll it out over here,” she said.
Caitlin recently gained Social Work and Health Science degrees at Monash University.
“I hope to learn more about social justice issues on an international scale,” she said.
“It’s easy when you study social work in an Australian context to just think about issues in terms of Australia.
“I’m hoping that I can learn about things at a global level and bring back some of that knowledge.
“I want to specialise as a mental health social worker.”
Her long-term goal is to be a pastor or minister, ideally in Dandenong.
She last month worked at the state election polling booth at Lyndale Secondary College.
“There were a couple of Sudanese people who came in and they were so excited because it was the first time they were able to vote,” she said.
“That was just so exciting for me. That was when I realised how much I’m going to miss where I live.
“I get a lot of stigma for where I live, but I tell people with a purpose that that’s where I live because I’m proud of my community.”
Caitlin has never lived away from her family or travelled on her own.
“Thank goodness for Skype!” she said.
“It’s a big deal for my grandparents.
“All four of them at some stage either worked or volunteered with the Salvation Army.”
Salvation Army Dandenong corps officer Captain Stuart McGifford encouraged Caitlin to apply.
“It’s an honour to know Caitlin and to see her commitment to ensuring no one in our world is left behind,” he said.
“This opportunity will provide her with a life-changing perspective on the world.”
