REFUGEES, IDENTITY AND MEDIA
New Australians from refugee backgrounds are building diverse and dynamic communities during settlement and integration. While much has been explored about the relationship between the media and refugees, this forum seeks to interrogate the ways in which former refugees respond to - and can increasingly direct - their own representtions in popular culture. The impact of the media has far-reaching implications for community building, identity construction, and health and wellbeing.
Whether it's young people who suffer from negative stereotyping, students in education contexts acquiring filmmaking skills, or increasing numbers of former refugees working in media-related professions, REFUGEES, MEDIA & IDENTITY will continue the dialogue about the power of media, multimedia and its possibilities amongst Australian former refugee communities and their advocates.
Speakers
Anne Harris is a teacher and researcher in VU's School of Education who has been working with Sudanese young women in Melbourne, exploring their educational experiences in Australia through film. Her thesis Cross-Marked: Sudanese Women Talk Education is a series of six short films made by and about female former refugees, ages 18-25. She and co-participant Nyadol Nyuon will discuss the impact of media representation within education contexts on Sudanese students and their teachers.
Caitlin Nunn has worked with young people from refugee backgrounds in a variety of contexts including teaching ESL, coordinating an activity program for a Sudanese CBO, and managing theatre and circus projects. She is particularly interested in the ways that community arts practice can contribute to the wellbeing of young people from refugee backgrounds and promote positive resettlement experiences. Caitlin is currently the Research Officer on the 'Good Starts Arts' project in which young people from refugee backgrounds are working with community artists to explore their experiences of resettlement.
Saeed Saeed is a freelance writer and youth worker. He has worked with the Horn of Africa and Arabic communities here in Melbourne where he has run leadership and mentoring programs and provided advice on ways for communities to work with the media. He has written for many of Australia's leading news publications such as The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Herald Sun, Courier Mail and MX. He is a regular contributor to Soccer International and a feature writer for lifestyle publication, Acclaim Magazine. Saeed is also a music & film critic for Mediasearch and Melbourne radio station PBSFM. Saeed writes and works across a range of media platforms including the web, newspapers and radio, and will speak on his experience as a media practitioner and youth worker, and issues related to the representation of refugees in both traditional media and new and emerging multimedia platforms. Saeed is excited at the various options multimedia affords marginalised communities in expressing a new and alternative voice in the media-sphere.
When: Friday 31 October 2008
Time: 3-5pm
Where: Lecture Theatre P001, underneath Building P, Victoria University, Footscray Park (Melways 2007 Ref: 42 C2)
RSVP: Wednesday 29 October 2008
sue.butterworth@vu.edu.au
Phone: 9919 5478
