Steve’s off to Australia with the IBM Corporate Service Corp

Well so far it’s been quite a journey and I haven’t even left yet!

First, what is the IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC) Program?

This is a program that was launched in 2008 and is designed to align IBM volunteers with projects that can make a real difference in the world. Since its inception, IBM has contributed over 3000 participants on over 275 teams to nearly 40 countries around the world, delivering over $70 million in market value consulting on over 1000 projects.

My personal journey began several years ago when one of my colleagues returned from his project and spoke to me about his experience. I was intrigued but didn’t feel that the time was right. Then, last April I received an invitation to an overview session where, after listening to other alumni speak about their projects, I got really excited and decided that the time was right. I submitted my application in June and then, as is usual with these kinds of things, I got to wait for a response.

On October 12th, the Mazzuca household was rocked with a bellow that could be heard around the block. I had received my acceptance letter. My euphoria was short lived when I realized that I still had to wait for my deployment and project detail. However, at least I was in the program. Finally, on April 1st, I was informed that I would be part of Australia 1, the first CSC team to be assigned to a developed country.

I will be part of a team working with the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. This is a service that provides medical services for rural and remote Australians. To put things in perspective, their “waiting room” is almost 7.7 million hectares or 30,000 square miles. They are a non-profit organization that has consistently been named the most trusted non-profit in Australia.

I’ve spent the past 3 months preparing for my deployment and on August 2nd I’ll be kissing Ornella goodby as I fly to the other side of the world. I am both excited and nervous. Excited that I’m finally on my way and nervous about being able to meet the expectations around our project. However, the one thing that I have learned during the past 12 weeks is that I’m part of an incredible team that has the backing of IBM. I can’t wait to start!

In case you want some details on the project here is some detail around what we are: https://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/corporateservicecorps/

and here is some detail around the Royal Flying Doctor Service: https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/what-we-do/

Ciao for now,

Steve