1. Garma Festival 2011
The Castan Centre for Human Rights Law invites Monash students to apply to participate in the Garma Festival, to be held from Friday 5 – Monday 8 August, 2011.
‘The Annual Garma Festival is Australia’s Leading Cultural Exchange event. It is held annually onsite at remote Gulkula, a traditional meeting ground in Arnhem land.
The Garma Festival is a nationally significant, intimate, spectacular celebration of cultural traditions and practices – dance, song, music, and art (including presentations, collaborations, sales) – and the annual venue for a major Key Forum on Indigenous issues.
As well as the Key Forum and integrated academic presentations on language and culture, Key Forum participants also have the opportunity to watch the daily bunggul and music performances, enjoy Garma art exhibitions and projects, and participate in evening and night activities.’
Yothu Yindi Foundation, Organisers of Garma Festival.
The Key Forum for the Garma Festival 2011 is Academic Excellence and Cultural Integrity. Daily seminars will touch upon many issues, including ones of a legal nature. In addition to the daily seminars, informal talks will be held for Monash students to gain further insight into cultural, historical and contemporary Indigenous issues. Successful applicants will be expected to attend and participate in both the formal seminars and informal talks during both the days and evenings of the Festival. The Castan Centre group will comprise of approximately 10 students accompanied by Melissa Castan and other staff.
Law students may be eligible to gain *6 credit points* for attending the Garma Festival 2011 and subsequently submitting a supervised research paper on a related issue (see handbook for LAW 4174). Non-law students should raise issues of credit with their relevant Faculty.
Information session on the Garma Festival:
| Venue: |
Monash University,
Room G18, Building 12, Clayton Campus |
| Date: |
Tuesday 22 March, 2011 |
| Time: |
1 pm |
Application forms will be available at the session and from the Law Student Services counter. Applications are due by Thursday 21 April, 2011. Applicants are required to write a 300-500 word statement outlining their motivation for wanting to attend the Garma Festival 2011. It would be beneficial for prospective applicants to view the Garma website (www.yyf.com.au) prior to applying and to read the ‘Background Notes’ provided on the website. For further information, please contact Sarah Griffin: scgri1@student.monash.edu.au .
Please note: This is a self-funded trip, with costs estimated at $2,200. This includes flights, accommodation, transfers, Festival ticket and all meals.
2. Vanessa Zimmerman, Legal Advisor to Professor John Ruggie the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Business and Human Rights
Presented by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law; “Business and Human Rights at Home and Abroad: an Update on the Work of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Business and Human Rights”
| Venue: |
Monash University,
Room G21, Building 75, Clayton Campus |
| Date: |
Friday 1 April, 2011 |
| Time: |
4.30 pm – 6 pm |
| RSVP: |
Space is limited, so RSVP is essential, castan.centre@monash.edu or tel. 9905 3327 |
For further information please see Background Information
3. Victorian Association for Dispute Resolution
On Tuesday 22 March, Amie Cousins, Conciliation Manager from the Financial Ombudsman Service, will be speaking at a VADR CPD presentation on the topic : “Strategies for Power Imbalances. Case study, the Financial Ombudsman
This information has relevance for any mediator, lawyer or body dealing with power imbalances in mediation on a regular basis, dealing with consumers or dealing with conflicts between organisations and individuals.
| Venue: |
Coopers Inn (2nd floor)
cnr Exhibition and Little Lonsdale Streets |
| Date: |
Tuesday 22 March, 2011 |
| Time: |
Arrive 5.15pm for a 6pm start |
| Cost: |
Free for members, $20 for non members. Finger food is provided. |
People who wish to attend can email
admin@vadr.asn.au or president@vadr.asn.au
Details are also available on the website www.vadr.asn.au and see Dispute Resolution. Please feel free to pass on details of the event to anyone you feel may be interested.
4. Will the Revolution be Tweeted? The Role of Social Media in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
You are invited to the public forum by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and the Human Rights Law Resource Centre
| Venue: |
Monash University Law Chambers,
472 Bourke Street, Melbourne |
| Date: |
Tuesday 5 April, 2011 |
| Time: |
12.30 pm – 2.00 pm |
| RSVP: |
By 28 March, castan.centre@monash.edu or 03 9905 3327 |
| Entry: |
By gold coin donation |
Panelists
• Professor Sarah Joseph, Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
• Simon Sheikh, National Director of GetUp!
• Jonathan Green, Editor of The Drum, ABC
• Alex Pagliaro, Refugee Campaign Coordinator, Amnesty International Australia
In an influential article in The New Yorker, entitled “Small Change: Why the Revolution will not be Tweeted”, Malcolm Gladwell argues that, far from supporting social movements and social change, social media may actually undermine them. Social media creates weak ties and can contribute to “networked authoritarianism” just as much as to progressive social change, Gladwell says.
In response, Clay Shirky, Professor of New Media at NYU, argues that social media can be used as a critical tool for the sharing of information and enhanced social engagement and mobilisation, empowering “loosely coordinated publics to demand change”. He points to the role of social media in recent revolutions from Tunisia, to Egypt, to Libya.
Join our expert panel to debate these views and discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of social media to promote and protect human rights.
Further information please see:
http://www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre/events/2011/social-media.html
NB: If this particular educational activity is relevant to your immediate or long term needs in relation to your professional development and practice of the law, then you should claim one ‘unit’ for each hour of attendance.
