Being a Cisco employee luckily comes with many amazing perks for all staff touse throughouttheyear. In particular,a Cisco favourite is our 'Give Back Days' -we receive 40 hours each yearwhere we can shut thecomputer lid, turn off emails, andcome togetheras a teamto workon projectsclose to our hears, andmost importantly;giving back to ourlocalcommunities.(Cisco evengave us an additional 10 hours thisyear!) 

However, 2020 is indeed a strange year, and 'every-day' norms and conditions are quite different than what we are usually accustomed to.In the middle of a globalpandemic, volunteeringgets a little trickier! No longer is physically goingoutside as a groupan option, nor shaking hands, meeting new people, and smiling together as a team. 

In 2020, volunteering efforts need be more creativeand inspired, andthat's exactly the mantra that the Cisco Sales Associate Program (CSAP) APJC graduate class of FY20 stuck to!With physical, geographical borders imposed, we cast our search for virtual volunteering opportunities far and wide,settling our sights 'Down Under' in Australia to theAustralian Museum. 

TheAustralian Museum, in partnership withDigoVol, provides a platform where volunteers can decipher museum collections, discover hidden archives, and contribute to knowledge and science on a domestic or global level, all by completing and transcribing simple tasks. 

Thus, with distance no longer a barrier, allnine CSAPvolunteers across Asia came together and logged online, tilted back their chairs, got some snacks ready,and beganour virtualGive Back Day! 

Traversing virtually through the labyrinth of the Australian museum archives, we found ourselves on expeditions for three tasks:  

1. Assisting world famous Sydney institutionTaronga Zooidentify animals caught by camera speed traps to ensure a safe habitat for the Greater Bilby, an endangered Australian Marsupial.

2. Transcribing field notes written by University of Utah studentNowlanKelly Dean from 1959. The transcription of this collection of field notes is invaluable for the biologicalcommunity, andwill be linked to actual specimens in the Natural History Museum of Utah, and online across the world.

3. Back to Australia, we banded togetherto count wildlife crossing through aMalleefowlmound for theNSW Government conservation efforts! This helps scientistsunderstand how native and pest animals interact withmalleefowl, and their nests.

By the end of the day,after resting our safari hats and seeing our fair share ofhundreds of kangaroo species,we were able to complete a staggering4,131tasks/transcriptions, and completely finish the Taronga Zoo, and University of Utahexpeditions for the museum. That's quite an impact! 

Virtuallyvolunteering forthe Australian Museumwas an amazing opportunity which allowedCisconians to do whatCisconiansdo best-come togetherfrom different continents tocollaborate and creativelycontribute for a worthy causewhile having fun! 

Ready to join our global teams (who love to give back)?Apply now. 

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