The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is delighted to announce former scholarship holder and junior sailing world champion Hayley Clark has been appointed as an Athlete Wellbeing & Engagement (AW&E) Intern.
The internship is a joint partnership and collaboration between the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and WAIS and will strengthen our AW&E team and help her transition into a full-time role within the AW&E network.
A key strategic goal of WAIS and the AIS is to have athletes seen as role models and be a positive influence in the community. This is done largely through the AW&E team, focusing on identifying community events and activations, supporting key social and community issues, whilst aligning these to athlete values and passions.
Hayley spent three years as a sailing scholarship holder between 2016 and 2018, including being crowned youth world champion in the 29er class in 2016 before winning the Olympic class 49erFX national title in 2018.
Since stepping away from high performance sport two years ago she has been completing a degree in linguistics at the University of Western Australia as well as working in media, event, teaching and logistics roles both in and out of sport.
WAIS Pathways Performance Team Director Neill Potts said, “We are excited to welcome Hayley back to WAIS. As a successful former athlete she brings valuable experiences from her journey as an athlete that will benefit current scholarship holders.
“The internship will see Hayley mentored by a team of experienced AW&E advisors in developing her for a potential future role in the workforce. As part of the position, Hayley will support implementation of the WAIS community engagement strategy through a range of initiatives and work alongside the AW&E advisors to support athletes and sport programs.
“This is a great initiative by the AIS and we look forward to ongoing collaboration in the AW&E space that supports growth of the network nationally.”
AIS Director of Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Matti Clements said, “Every Australian athlete deserves the opportunity and the environment to learn, thrive and contribute to the community during their time in high performance sport and life afterwards.
“The AIS is proud to support WAIS in placing athlete wellbeing at the forefront through this appointment. It is also pleasing to see a former athlete such as Hayley re-engage with sport in this role and contributing to continued positive change in this area.”
