What makes you UniQue?

Post-graduate communication students from the School of Journalism and Communication are on a quest to find out more about the UQ community as part of the tenth Diversity Week celebrations.

The SJC is contributing to the Diversity Week program of events with two activities that support this year’s theme – Unity in Diversity.

Faces of Diversity is a Facebook photo-sharing activity designed to highlight diversity within the UQ community. Students and staff are encouraged to upload their photos and complete the sentence, “I am UniQue because….” Prizes will be awarded for post of the week and five contributors will be selected to share their story as part of a Diversity Week podcast on JACRadio.

Represent is an interactive discussion for students of journalism and communication co-presented by the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland.  It will explore representations of ethnicity and cultural diversity in the media.

Jeanette Shepherd, Communications Officer from the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, says that cultural identity is often inaccurately represented in Queensland’s mass media, and “This forum will be a great opportunity for UQ students to hear the personal insights and media experiences of the guest speakers, and discuss the ways that students and practicing journalists can begin to change these damaging misrepresentations, address under-representation, and better reflect the fact that we are a multicultural society.”

“The guest speakers come from a wide range of backgrounds, and include Yasmin Khan, an eloquent spokesperson and representative of the Muslim community; Elijah Buol, a program manager at ECCQ and a previous dynamic youth leader for the South Sudanese community; Jimaima Le Grand, a strong advocate for Pacific Island communities in Queensland; and Robert Mukombozi, the 2006 Rwandan Investigative Journalist of the Year and now active member of the African community and refugee advocate in Brisbane.”

Head of the School of Journalism and Communication, Professor Michael Bromley, says, “We are very pleased to be working with the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland.  Events of this kind provide a new learning opportunity for our students and assist in building cultural awareness and responsibility in the next generation of journalists.”

Event:     Represent – free public discussion

Date:      Wednesday 23 May 2012

Time:      3pm

Venue:     Terrace Room, Sir Llew Edwards Building, UQ. (Building 14)