Meet Bridie Macken: CLAN Community Development Intern and NCP Scholar
2026
Main projects and key deliverables:
Tell me a bit about yourself. How and when did you start working with CLAN, and what motivated you to do so?
My name is Bridie Macken, and I am in my final year of a double degree in Communications (Social and Political Sciences) and International Studies at UTS. I am interested in travel, learning languages and creating positive social change.
I started interning with CLAN in February 2026, motivated to learn more about NGO work. I am interested in disability rights, gender inclusivity, and queer justice. I am keen to support disability communities both in Australia and Vietnam, and build connections between them.
Tell us about the New Colombo Plan and the opportunities it has provided you.
The New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an Australian Government program that supports university students like myself to study, intern and learn languages in the Indo-Pacific region. I am so grateful for the support of this scholarship, as it has opened up many doors and allowed me to live in Vietnam for a year! It was through the NCP opportunities bulletin that I found the CLAN internship in the first place.
I began my NCP program in Hanoi, Vietnam, in August 2025 with a month of intensive language classes at Tieng Viet Oi followed by an exchange semester at VinUniversity. I was also able to attend Humanitarian Affairs Asia’s 5th Global Peace Summit in Bangkok in January 2026. I learnt from global humanitarian leaders and connected with over 450 delegates from 60 countries. After the Peace Summit, I began my internship with CLAN. In this role, I worked closely with the Cerebral Palsy Family Association Vietnam (CPFAV), Hội Gia đình trẻ em và người bại não Việt Nam, to help support CPFAV in implementing CLAN’s five pillars in the Vietnamese cerebral palsy community.
My NCP scholarship has supported me in this role by enabling me to connect with the Australian embassy in Hanoi to talk about cerebral palsy and the work of CPFAV in Vietnam. My ongoing language classes have also helped me connect better to communities and understand the cultural contexts more easily.
What motivates you to work hard?
I am motivated to work hard whenever I get to witness the incredible work that women are doing for their communities. In my time with CPFAV, I was blown away by the persistence and endurance of the women who have achieved so much. Most of these women began working with CPFAV as mothers of children with cerebral palsy, looking to connect with resources and support for their families. The programs, networks and community they have built in just a decade are so inspiring, so they definitely motivate me to work hard.
What is your role within CLAN?
With CLAN, I have been working with CPFAV to support their partners in Vietnam in line with CLAN’s Five Pillars. My work focused on three main areas: education, funding and networks.
I wrote a child rights flyer for cerebral palsy, translated it into Vietnamese, and documented the work of CPFAV and community leaders for an international audience. I was super excited to set up an English club to help people practice their spoken English (and to practice my spoken Vietnamese). Building networks, both nationally and internationally, with other social enterprises, businesses and the cerebral palsy community was also a big focus for me.
I was also interested in writing a child-friendly rights flyer for the autism community as a member of the community myself.
What was the most inspiring moment within your work with CLAN so far?
My most inspiring moment was interviewing Nguyen Thuy Chi, a leader in the Vietnam cerebral palsy community, about her work, life and art. It was such an honour to visit her in her home, see her art, and hear her talk about her journey and her aspirations for the Vietnam CP community.
I also found it fascinating to hear about the language around cerebral palsy in Vietnam and the move away from using the Vietnamese term to English, as the Vietnamese word (bại não) isn’t a good translation. It really goes to show how powerful language can be.
What was your main goal when you applied to intern with CLAN? Did you achieve this, or did your path change while interning?
My main goal when I applied to intern with CLAN was to support grassroots communities in Vietnam with their work. I wanted to gain experience working with NGOs and build a portfolio of reports and articles that can support these communities and spread the word about their incredible work.
When I first began talking with CPFAV, I was really drawn to the education sector and finding ways to support children with Cerebral Palsy to continue to access education. During my program, I found that there were many monetary, social and policy barriers for many children with cerebral palsy to access formal education. I ended up working towards this goal through an English-speaking club with the adults' association of CPFAV. The goal is to support adults with cerebral palsy (and children if they want to join) to gain speaking confidence and pronunciation support when speaking English. Many adults want to apply for international opportunities where English is a requirement, and they also want to improve their English to support them in building international networks and clients for the business Cham Vao Xanh. I was also able to produce a flyer on the rights of the child with CP, of which education was a major feature, and I interviewed artist Chi Nguyen, who spoke to the importance of education for children living with CP.
I changed paths during my internship as well to investigate Autism as part of my internship. As an autistic person, I am deeply interested in raising awareness and knowledge about autism, and so I produced a child rights flyer and wrote a story about CLAN’s story with the Vietnamese Autism community.
What is your top must-read book?
My top must-read book has to be Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. It is a dystopia that imagines a future where America creates a gladiator-style game show to deal with death row prisoners. It is my top must-read because I think the way the author weaves real-life cases into the plot of his fictional dystopia is heart-wrenching. It is queer, accessible and incredibly powerful. My honourable mentions are On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong and No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani.
2026
Main projects and key deliverables:
- Cerebral Palsy Child Rights Flyer in English and Vietnamese
- Autism Child Rights Flyer in English
- Interviewed Chi Nguyen, an artist and community leader living with CP, who produced the artworks for the Child Rights Flyer.
- Cerebral Palsy Vietnam event report: Ninh Binh training day
- Produced a Grant and Funding Opportunities Database
- Updated CLAN's Vietnam Cerebral Palsy Action Plan
- Set up an English club with staff and volunteers at Chạm Vào Xanh
Tell me a bit about yourself. How and when did you start working with CLAN, and what motivated you to do so?
My name is Bridie Macken, and I am in my final year of a double degree in Communications (Social and Political Sciences) and International Studies at UTS. I am interested in travel, learning languages and creating positive social change.
I started interning with CLAN in February 2026, motivated to learn more about NGO work. I am interested in disability rights, gender inclusivity, and queer justice. I am keen to support disability communities both in Australia and Vietnam, and build connections between them.
Tell us about the New Colombo Plan and the opportunities it has provided you.
The New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an Australian Government program that supports university students like myself to study, intern and learn languages in the Indo-Pacific region. I am so grateful for the support of this scholarship, as it has opened up many doors and allowed me to live in Vietnam for a year! It was through the NCP opportunities bulletin that I found the CLAN internship in the first place.
I began my NCP program in Hanoi, Vietnam, in August 2025 with a month of intensive language classes at Tieng Viet Oi followed by an exchange semester at VinUniversity. I was also able to attend Humanitarian Affairs Asia’s 5th Global Peace Summit in Bangkok in January 2026. I learnt from global humanitarian leaders and connected with over 450 delegates from 60 countries. After the Peace Summit, I began my internship with CLAN. In this role, I worked closely with the Cerebral Palsy Family Association Vietnam (CPFAV), Hội Gia đình trẻ em và người bại não Việt Nam, to help support CPFAV in implementing CLAN’s five pillars in the Vietnamese cerebral palsy community.
My NCP scholarship has supported me in this role by enabling me to connect with the Australian embassy in Hanoi to talk about cerebral palsy and the work of CPFAV in Vietnam. My ongoing language classes have also helped me connect better to communities and understand the cultural contexts more easily.
What motivates you to work hard?
I am motivated to work hard whenever I get to witness the incredible work that women are doing for their communities. In my time with CPFAV, I was blown away by the persistence and endurance of the women who have achieved so much. Most of these women began working with CPFAV as mothers of children with cerebral palsy, looking to connect with resources and support for their families. The programs, networks and community they have built in just a decade are so inspiring, so they definitely motivate me to work hard.
What is your role within CLAN?
With CLAN, I have been working with CPFAV to support their partners in Vietnam in line with CLAN’s Five Pillars. My work focused on three main areas: education, funding and networks.
I wrote a child rights flyer for cerebral palsy, translated it into Vietnamese, and documented the work of CPFAV and community leaders for an international audience. I was super excited to set up an English club to help people practice their spoken English (and to practice my spoken Vietnamese). Building networks, both nationally and internationally, with other social enterprises, businesses and the cerebral palsy community was also a big focus for me.
I was also interested in writing a child-friendly rights flyer for the autism community as a member of the community myself.
What was the most inspiring moment within your work with CLAN so far?
My most inspiring moment was interviewing Nguyen Thuy Chi, a leader in the Vietnam cerebral palsy community, about her work, life and art. It was such an honour to visit her in her home, see her art, and hear her talk about her journey and her aspirations for the Vietnam CP community.
I also found it fascinating to hear about the language around cerebral palsy in Vietnam and the move away from using the Vietnamese term to English, as the Vietnamese word (bại não) isn’t a good translation. It really goes to show how powerful language can be.
What was your main goal when you applied to intern with CLAN? Did you achieve this, or did your path change while interning?
My main goal when I applied to intern with CLAN was to support grassroots communities in Vietnam with their work. I wanted to gain experience working with NGOs and build a portfolio of reports and articles that can support these communities and spread the word about their incredible work.
When I first began talking with CPFAV, I was really drawn to the education sector and finding ways to support children with Cerebral Palsy to continue to access education. During my program, I found that there were many monetary, social and policy barriers for many children with cerebral palsy to access formal education. I ended up working towards this goal through an English-speaking club with the adults' association of CPFAV. The goal is to support adults with cerebral palsy (and children if they want to join) to gain speaking confidence and pronunciation support when speaking English. Many adults want to apply for international opportunities where English is a requirement, and they also want to improve their English to support them in building international networks and clients for the business Cham Vao Xanh. I was also able to produce a flyer on the rights of the child with CP, of which education was a major feature, and I interviewed artist Chi Nguyen, who spoke to the importance of education for children living with CP.
I changed paths during my internship as well to investigate Autism as part of my internship. As an autistic person, I am deeply interested in raising awareness and knowledge about autism, and so I produced a child rights flyer and wrote a story about CLAN’s story with the Vietnamese Autism community.
What is your top must-read book?
My top must-read book has to be Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. It is a dystopia that imagines a future where America creates a gladiator-style game show to deal with death row prisoners. It is my top must-read because I think the way the author weaves real-life cases into the plot of his fictional dystopia is heart-wrenching. It is queer, accessible and incredibly powerful. My honourable mentions are On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong and No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani.
