My Volunteer Experience - Alice Jingyi Zeng
Welcome Jingyi!
(Alice) Jingyi Zeng joined our Data Analytics Team as a volunteer, whilst she studies her Masters at Adelaide University, beginning with the team this year on the 26 July 2023.
She attends for ~4 hours a week onsite at the Connecting Up Office joining several of her other classmates from similar disciplines who are also volunteering in the SAcommunity program.
Jingyi was recently accepted into a government role in the Department of Human Services (DHS) and returned to let us know of her success on 6 September 2024. We organised a time for her to share her job seeking experiences with other Volunteers and Interns on the 29 October 2024 to provide some current insights into the process. Jingyi has kindly offered to continue to volunteer with us until she starts in her new position at the end of 2024.
Congratulations Jingyi!
Total Hours 136 This Year 72 Joined 26 July 2023 Last Check-in 19 November 2024
Alice Jingyi Visits the Team 29 October 2024
Jingyi has kindly continued with her volunteer project until she starts her new job. On her return we asked her to present her experience for our Team members. Providing an overview on how she prepared for the interview process, the general steps taken as part of her application, and answering queries on aspects she found most useful and that could assist the team towards improving their own employment prospects. Thank you Jingyi!
Alice explaining her application, preparation, interview processes and employment role with the team
Personal Biography
Jingyi is currently studying a Master of Data Science at the University of Adelaide and has a Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management and Property at the University of New South Wales. Graduating from her Masters in 2024, Jingyi aims to meld her construction management background with data science techniques, aiming to uncover patterns in project management data that enhance efficiency and mitigate risk. Fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin, her passion lies in interpreting the stories within data and drawing insights that drive informed decision-making.
She is volunteering with the SAcommunity Data Analytics Team to apply her theoretical knowledge gained at university to real-world scenarios for the community. Through her volunteer work she has two aims: Firstly, she plans to learn how to utilise the interactive data visualization software product Power BI Pro, as part of her continuous learning. Secondly, by creating reports on community services in councils, she gains experience in the practical application of data analytics to drive tangible results.
In the future, Jingyi aims to pioneer the integration of data-driven methodologies in the construction and property sectors, optimizing project efficiency, resource allocation, and market analysis, propelling the industry toward a more data-informed and sustainable future.
Image: Intern Kane Hengchuan Zhao with Volunteer Alice Jingyi Zeng demonstrating ArcGIS in Power BI
Community Services in Councils Project
Jingyi has selected The City of Playford for her council reports, a dataset of approximately 376 community services operating in the area over 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 following up on previous reports by Stathis Avramis, and can be found >>here. The data and information visualisation reports created on these services are published on the website and then links are provided to council stakeholders, introducing SAcommunity by email to the City of Playford with a presentation of the community service information for their area on the 12 March 2024.
Image: Connecting Up Monthly Meeting 13 August 2024 with guest Kylie Love, Senior People & Culture Business Partner, Brisbane Office, Infoxchange
Work experience - Internal/External Connections & Networks - Meetings and Events
Volunteers and interns are encouraged to attend monthly SAcommunity and Connecting Up Team meetings, as well as quarterly all-staff Infoxchange Town Hall meetings to understand more about the organisation as a whole. In addition to being provided with an opportunity to read about projects and news through the staff-wide communication channels: Yammer and the weekly CEO Update from David Spriggs. Finally we also support volunteers and interns to participate in Infoxchange-wide 'Lunch and Learn' educational sessions, and network meetings, to connect with staff and other volunteers.
Jingyi has accessed the following staff and volunteer training and development sessions:
Image: Alice taking part in 'Tim Tam Slams' organisation induction
Lunch & Learn Events:
Lunch & Learn 5 December 2023 - Understanding the Microsoft 365 Apps
Rebecca Moss IX Sharepoint Specialist
Rebecca Moss IX Sharepoint Specialist
To learn more about the Microsoft 365 Apps – Sharepoint, OneDrive and Teams and how to best utilise some of their features in day-to-day work activities
Telephone Techniques Training: David Webb, Thea Shiye Jin and Alice Jingyi Zeng
Training and Development - Telephone Techniques
Telephone techniques are an important aspect of understanding data collection methods for the SAcommunity directory. Required for the processes of data cleaning and updating records for data analysis of council datasets. Applying telephone techniques as part of practice in contacting services ahead of council stakeholders to introduce data reports to stakeholders.
Training and Development - Telephone Techniques
Telephone techniques are an important aspect of understanding data collection methods for the SAcommunity directory. Required for the processes of data cleaning and updating records for data analysis of council datasets. Applying telephone techniques as part of practice in contacting services ahead of council stakeholders to introduce data reports to stakeholders.
Volunteer Data Analytics Team Lead Stathis Avramis assisting Alice Jingyi Zeng
Training and Development - Digital Learning Platform
Jingyi has had the opportunity to understand more about data analytics in the not-for-profit sector, and was provided with access to the Connecting Up Digital Learning platform, a training and development online learning platform with a selection of relevant live webinars and recorded webinars, workshops and webcons from a range of subject-matter experts who also have a deep experience with not-for-profits.
Professional Development at Infoxchange is a balance of approximately 70% project / 20% peer-to-peer learning / 10% formal learning. For the SAcommunity Team there is approximately 15 hours of project work, 3 hours of peer-to-peer learning, and 1 hour of online webinar with 30 minutes of feedback, to reflect and strengthen team members understanding of what was learnt and what their personal takeaways were from these educational sessions facilitating life-long learning.
Relevant webinars, workshops and webcons selected and summarised by Jingyi have included:
Explores various aspects of Cyber Security, and how to apply these knowledge and skillsets to an organisations' cyber security strategy
Session 1: Combating the Mess of Cyber Standards Facing NFP - Andrew Robinson, 6clicks
Session 2: Real World Cyber Crime and how to best protect your organisation - Connon Daly, The I.T. Team
Session 3: Why cybercriminals want it and the 5 steps you should take to securing your precious NFP organization data and IT - Susie Jones, Cynch Security
Session 4: The legal and regulatory landscape for NFPs impacted by a cyber incident - Stefanie Luhrs, Clyde&Co
This workshop provided me with an overview of information security management standards, the latest threats, and available protective measures within the not-for-profit (NFP) industry.
The session commenced with an introduction to the target, style, requirements, and complexity of relevant standards and outlined a structured approach to managing complexity in a four-step process:
• Establishing the scope and context
• Risk assessment and treatment
• Developing and implementing policies
• Operating and improving
The importance of maintaining an up-to-date awareness of changes in security management standards and regulations was emphasized as a crucial practice for enhancing resilience.
The workshop also underscored the significance of addressing data breaches, a key risk for NFPs. To proactively manage this challenge, preparations included:
• Understanding the operation of the privacy act, including notification requirements and timeframes.
• Preparing a privacy policy
• Conducting data mapping and identifying critical data holdings
• Identifying third-party risks
• Managing external and internal communications with legal oversight
• Training your staff and create a culture of cyber security awareness
In the upcoming stage, I will continue to develop my skills in risk management, including the study of assessment methodologies, tools, and strategies for effective security risk treatment. Cloud security will be another focus, which involves the exploration of best practices for securing cloud environments.
Image: National Volunteer Week Celebrations May 2024
Intern Jay Shijie Zhang, Olivia Thi Kim Oanh Nguyen, Volunteer Alice Jingyi Zeng, Head of Connecting Up Pankaj Chhalotre and Intern Tanvi Srivastava
Intern Jay Shijie Zhang, Olivia Thi Kim Oanh Nguyen, Volunteer Alice Jingyi Zeng, Head of Connecting Up Pankaj Chhalotre and Intern Tanvi Srivastava
Image: 13 August 2024 New Volunteers and Interns induction by current Volunteers
Leeves Cho, Todd Guanhua Tao, Lily Thuy Linh Nguyen, Holly Hongjie Xiang, Ivy Ling Luo, Lancy Lanxi Zhang, Eily Lee Selvam, "During my time as a volunteer with the Data Analytics Team, I expanded my technical skills and gained valuable professional experience. I focused on using Google Analytics and Power BI and conducting GIS analysis to develop community reports. My work involved analysing the community needs and services in the Playford council, covering 2021 to the current financial year.
Leeves Cho, Todd Guanhua Tao, Lily Thuy Linh Nguyen, Holly Hongjie Xiang, Ivy Ling Luo, Lancy Lanxi Zhang, Eily Lee Selvam, "During my time as a volunteer with the Data Analytics Team, I expanded my technical skills and gained valuable professional experience. I focused on using Google Analytics and Power BI and conducting GIS analysis to develop community reports. My work involved analysing the community needs and services in the Playford council, covering 2021 to the current financial year.
To further enhance my skills, I participated in telephone training, which improved my communication skills, towards data collection and record updating. Through regular training via the Connecting Up digital learning platform, I deepened my understanding of cybersecurity and its application within the not-for-profit sector. In addition, attending network meetings also enabled me to gain a better understanding of the organisation and the role of data-driven decision-making in supporting community services." ~ Jingyi Zeng
