EWB Knowledge Hubs provide targeted opportunities for people to apply their expertise to volunteer across a broad range of EWB Australia’s thematic focuses.
What is a Technical Knowledge Hub?
Our Technical Knowledge Hubs are a network of people with a common passion for a theme central to EWB of creating social value through engineering. These Hubs build organisational knowledge by learning from EWB’s own experiences and from external sources. This knowledge is shared to benefit EWB Australia’s activities, individuals and external partners in order to deepen and broaden our impact.
What do volunteers do at a Knowledge Hub?
As a part of our Knowledge Hubs, volunteers have the opportunity to work across four exciting programs: WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Energy, Shelter, Digital and Infrastructure across Australia.
Meet our Volunteers
Name: Rafael
Location: Perth
Time volunteering with EWB: 1 Year
Volunteer role: Technical Knowledge Hub Co-ordinator
Rafael graduated as a civil engineer in Italy, with a Bachelor and master’s degree at the University of Perugia. He then completed his Ph.D. and a two-year decorate at the University of Western Australia. Rafael is providing geotechnical engineering consulting at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, and outside of work, he is passionate about running and getting active in the outdoors.
Rafael joined our WA Energy Hub, where he was involved in some pretty exciting work -designing and making a model wind turbine to depict the way electricity can be generated using renewable sources. He has been recently been appointed to the role of National Technical Knowledge Hub Co-ordinator to assist in expanding Technical Knowledge Hubs across Australia. He believes EWB perfectly combines his technical skills and his desire to make a difference in the sector.
Tip for volunteers: “Join a hub in your city, don’t think too much about which one. And don’t feel like you may not have the right skills – your willingness to do good is the most valuable skill you have!”
Name: Danielle
Location: Sydney
Time volunteering with EWB: 1 Year
Volunteer role: Technical Knowledge Hub Co-ordinator
Danielle graduated as a Chemical Engineer and went into the process and product development for an innovative non-woven (material) manufacturing company in Melbourne. After she graduated, Danielle moved to Sydney to work in Product Management for a mining cable manufacturer while pursuing an MBA. Currently, she is a consultant working with Sydney Trains.
Danielle was always keen to work with EWB. She signed up as a member and started looking for ways to actively volunteer.
Tip for volunteers: “Sign up to be a member to gain access to what’s happening and then decide where you would most like to slot into this.”
Our volunteers tell us that volunteering is a meaningful way to give back, a great way to meet super enthusiastic people all around Australia, and be a part of a movement with people who share a similar vision of the world.
Find out more about our Technical Knowledge Hubs, email technicalkhs@ewb.org.au.