Meet Sienna Gates: CLAN Youth Advisor
Interview taken 20th March, 2023
Tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Sienna Gates, and I'm a project support youth advisor for CLAN. I'm currently studying pre-medicine at the University of Wollongong. I live on campus at my university, so I'm always looking to meet new people. I'd consider myself outgoing, and I love connecting and working with people - this is what drew me to medicine!
What motivates you to work hard?
The idea of making connections with people and being able to help them in meaningful ways is definitely a driving force. I want to work hard and open opportunities to put myself in a position to do the most amount of good. I am also incredibly lucky to have an amazing support network, and I work hard as a thank you for their support.
How and when did you start working with CLAN, and what motivated you to do so?
I started working with CLAN around mid-2021. Outside of CLAN, Grace Strik and I are very good friends, and when she was talking to me about the incredible work that CLAN does, I knew I wanted to be involved. The ongoing kindness and support of Kate, Cath and everyone involved in CLAN has made volunteering an incredibly positive experience that I'm privileged to have.
What is your role within CLAN?
I am a project support youth advisor for CLAN. My roles have been centred around, content creation for CLAN's website and emails, social media outreach and campaigning, fundraising initiatives and support for CLAN's projects and events including the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
What was the most inspiring moment within your work with CLAN so far?
I think this may have been having the opportunity to work with CLAN’s international teams and realising the widespread impact of CLAN’s mission. My involvement with CAH Awareness Month and working alongside the CLAN Africa team as they supported the CAH Community of Zimbabwe was an incredibly inspiring experience. Hearing testimonies of people within the community and learning about CLAN's work to facilitate medication access was very impactful, and I believe this work is when I have felt closest to CLAN's mission thus far.
What are some projects you’re currently working on, and what can we expect to see in the future?
I am currently working on a report for CAH Awareness Month that happened in June. This will include information about our social media campaigns, the facilitated access to medications, the CAH Community's inaugural club meeting and more, through the lens of CLAN's five pillar framework for action.
What is some advice you’d provide to others who want to get involved?
I could not recommend getting involved enough. Volunteering is extremely rewarding and managing it alongside work, university or other commitments is more than doable with the incredible support from Kate, Cath and the entire CLAN community. My advice is - if you're thinking about it, do it!
How has working with CLAN, or seeing CLANs work, shaped your worldview?
I think that being involved in CLAN has helped me see how big the world truly is, how privileged I am to live the life I am living and how I can use this to help uplift and empower communities that need it most. While my worldview has come to include a better understanding of the inequities globally, I also feel that I have seen and been a part of inspiring efforts to counter these.
What are your goals in the future?
A major personal goal of mine is to get into medical school once I graduate from my current degree. Also, I would love to have the opportunity to work overseas alongside CLAN's teams and communities in the coming few years.
Interview taken 20th March, 2023
Tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Sienna Gates, and I'm a project support youth advisor for CLAN. I'm currently studying pre-medicine at the University of Wollongong. I live on campus at my university, so I'm always looking to meet new people. I'd consider myself outgoing, and I love connecting and working with people - this is what drew me to medicine!
What motivates you to work hard?
The idea of making connections with people and being able to help them in meaningful ways is definitely a driving force. I want to work hard and open opportunities to put myself in a position to do the most amount of good. I am also incredibly lucky to have an amazing support network, and I work hard as a thank you for their support.
How and when did you start working with CLAN, and what motivated you to do so?
I started working with CLAN around mid-2021. Outside of CLAN, Grace Strik and I are very good friends, and when she was talking to me about the incredible work that CLAN does, I knew I wanted to be involved. The ongoing kindness and support of Kate, Cath and everyone involved in CLAN has made volunteering an incredibly positive experience that I'm privileged to have.
What is your role within CLAN?
I am a project support youth advisor for CLAN. My roles have been centred around, content creation for CLAN's website and emails, social media outreach and campaigning, fundraising initiatives and support for CLAN's projects and events including the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
What was the most inspiring moment within your work with CLAN so far?
I think this may have been having the opportunity to work with CLAN’s international teams and realising the widespread impact of CLAN’s mission. My involvement with CAH Awareness Month and working alongside the CLAN Africa team as they supported the CAH Community of Zimbabwe was an incredibly inspiring experience. Hearing testimonies of people within the community and learning about CLAN's work to facilitate medication access was very impactful, and I believe this work is when I have felt closest to CLAN's mission thus far.
What are some projects you’re currently working on, and what can we expect to see in the future?
I am currently working on a report for CAH Awareness Month that happened in June. This will include information about our social media campaigns, the facilitated access to medications, the CAH Community's inaugural club meeting and more, through the lens of CLAN's five pillar framework for action.
What is some advice you’d provide to others who want to get involved?
I could not recommend getting involved enough. Volunteering is extremely rewarding and managing it alongside work, university or other commitments is more than doable with the incredible support from Kate, Cath and the entire CLAN community. My advice is - if you're thinking about it, do it!
How has working with CLAN, or seeing CLANs work, shaped your worldview?
I think that being involved in CLAN has helped me see how big the world truly is, how privileged I am to live the life I am living and how I can use this to help uplift and empower communities that need it most. While my worldview has come to include a better understanding of the inequities globally, I also feel that I have seen and been a part of inspiring efforts to counter these.
What are your goals in the future?
A major personal goal of mine is to get into medical school once I graduate from my current degree. Also, I would love to have the opportunity to work overseas alongside CLAN's teams and communities in the coming few years.
