Diversity Festival 2023

Keynote Speech and Panel Discussion | Tuesday 19 September | 3 - 4.30pm | Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building

What does 'diversity' actually mean, and how can we move beyond this concept to better achieve equity? How do institutions need to change to dismantle structures of power and privilege?

Trans man and Olympic gold medallist Ellia Green OAM shared his experiences in his keynote speech, which was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Peta MacGillivray and included UNSW community members Quinton Vea Vea, Osca Monaghan and Melissa Golby.

Organised by the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Partnership, the UNSW Disability Innovation Institute and the Division of Equity Diversity & Inclusion.

Panel Discussion and Networking | Tuesday 19 September | 5.00 - 7.00pm | Lecture Room G02, UNSW Law & Justice Building

How do people living with disabilities experience their work and workplaces, and more specifically, within the legal and justice professions? What practical ways can the workplace make the profession more accessible and inclusive?

This dynamic discussion voiced lived experiences of disability in the workplace - unpacking lessons that have been learned, the challenges that remain, and the importance of legal and justice professions working towards promoting inclusivity in the workplace.

There was also a Q&A opportunity with the panel, followed by catered networking.

Organised by UNSW Law & Justice.

Presentation, Panel Discussion and Networking | Tuesday 19 September | 3.45 - 6.00pm | DesignNext Studio, Ainsworth Building  

The event brought together our energy researchers, students and technologists at UNSW to discuss how we can drive Australia's charge to net zero.

A keynote presentation from Dani Alexander, CEO of the UNSW Energy Institute, followed by a panel discussion with leading UNSW academics and industry experts. The panel explored major questions underpinning Australia's role in the energy transition. How can we secure Australia's position as a global powerhouse? How can we deliver the future power system? And how can we support a customer-led energy transition?

Panel: 

• Professor Deo Prasad: CEO, NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub
• Associate Professor Anna Bruce: Co-Director, UNSW Collaboration on Energy and Environmental Markets
• Professor Alistair Sproul: Head of School, UNSW School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering
• Dr Emma Lovell: Senior Lecturer, UNSW Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratory
• Tahlia Nolan: Commercial Manager (Hydrogen), Iberdrola Australia
• Mark Twidell: Non Executive Director, AGL

Organised by UNSW Energy Institute.

Workout Classes | Tuesday 19 September | 9.00 - 10.00am | UNSW Fitness & Aquatic Centre

Everyone got ready to move and break a sweat at our exclusive high-energy classes for the queer community as they embraced a healthier, happier version of themselves in a safe space at UNSW's Fitness and Aquatic Centre. 

• Tuesday 19 September, 9am-10am HIIT Class
• Thursday 21 September, 9am-10am Spin Class

Organised by the Health Promotions Unit - PVCESE Wellbeing.

For more SEXtember events, visit here.

Creative Workshop | Tuesday 19 September | 11.30am - 2.30pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

Students and staff joined us on the quadrangle to make their own single line bead bracelet with colours that symbolised them! They could be worn throughout the week to spread positivity and awareness.

There was also the opportunity to snap a photo in front of our Super Wall, and enjoy our picnic setup. All were welcome to bring snacks and enjoy the sunshine with us!

Organised by UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture (School of Education).

Stall | Tuesday 19 September | 11.00am - 2.00pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

Diversified is a student-led project with the aim to elevate student voice in course design. 

The Diversfied team was at this stall to: 

• interactively showcase and amplify the recommendations developed by neurodivergent students and the Diversified team in this report.
• identify student priorities and engage neurodivergent students and staff at UNSW who may be interested in being part of a project to develop an inclusive teaching toolkit and resources.
• talk to academics and foster a culture of greater inclusion around neurodivergence across UNSW.

Organised by UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture.

Giveaway | Tuesday 19 September | 12.00 - 1.30pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

Students and staff joined Arc on the Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn) for a free cultural food giveaway, coming together for a meaningful conversation about the profound connection between food and culture.

Organised by Arc.

Learn more

Art Service | Tuesday 19 September | 12.30 - 2.30pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

Life is too short for plain palms; let your hands become canvases of cultural artistry.

The UNSW community celebrated the South Asian art of Henna with BINDI BOSSES as they got adorned with intricate Henna designs while engaging in a thoughtful conversation about the nuances of cultural appreciation versus appropriation.

BINDI BOSSES, a contemporary arts company, is dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices through their culturally progressive work. They seamlessly blend Traditional Indian Classical and Folk dances with influences from South Asian cinema and street dances worldwide, empowering diverse artists to collaborate through dance, costume design, henna art, styling, photography, videography, and more.

This workshop took place on the Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn). 

Organised by Arc with support from the Division of Equity Diversity & Inclusion.

Workshop | Tuesday 19 September | 1.30 - 3.00pm | Online

Participants joined a conversation in silence with their fellow peers and learnt Australia's official sign language!

Arc brought back AUSLAN workshops by popular demand. These workshops are designed to help participants communicate effectively with Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. These online sessions were led by Expression Australia, known experts in services for the Deaf and hard of hearing community.

The journey began on Tuesday with Deaf Awareness Training (DAT). In this session, participants gained insights into working and communicating with Deaf individuals. They also gained strategies and knowledge to foster inclusivity and effective communication. Following the DAT experience, AUSLAN workshops were also available on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday 19 Sept – Deaf Awareness Training (DAT) @ 1.30PM | Online (All Registrants)

Then, a choice between dates:

Wednesday 20 Sept – AUSLAN Workshop @ 1.30PM | Online

OR

Thursday 21 Sept – AUSLAN Workshop @ 1.30PM | Online

Expression Australia is dedicated to empowering Deaf and hard of hearing individuals, helping them overcome life's challenges and make choices that align with their preferences.

All workshops took place online via Zoom with a 1:30PM start for all sessions.

Organised by Arc with support from the Division of Equity Diversity & Inclusion.

Workshop | Tuesday 19 September | 12.00 - 2.00pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

Were you a seasoned pro with crochet hooks? Maybe you were the type to be perpetually stuck on WikiHow pages on how to get the basic stitches right?

Regardless of where everyone sat on the skill spectrum for arts and crafts, the Joy and Mischief project invited working bees to play a part in designing a larger sustainable artwork while picking up new creative skills at their own pace. There was no need to bring anything as enthusiasm and love for nature were just fine!

The Joy and Mischief project is all about using materials we already have to make beautiful crafts. This craftivist collective is known for hosting local community workshops, and events focused on designing upcycled crafts. At the heart of it, they're set on making social and environmental justice campaigns more accessible, inclusive, vibrant and creative.

This workshop took place on the Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn). 

Organised by Arc.

Workshop | Tuesday 19 September | 1-3pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

This workshop provided an opportunity for staff and students to paint and decorate a little house for bees to adventure into!

The Producers share with the UNSW community all there is to learn about how to support the bee populations in the local ecosystem and the benefits of bee hotels, in aid of biodiversity and sustainability. 

Organised by the UNSW Producers, Arc.

Workshop and Stall with Interactive Activity | Tuesday 19 September | 11.00am - 2.00pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

The Student Ambassador Program (SAP) at UNSW aims to empower students, emphasising the importance of their voice, encouraging self-agency, and promoting co-design and co-production within courses. This initiative highlighted the value of diversity and inclusion, both in the academic landscape and in broader university life.

During the event, attendees:

• Gained insights into the achievements and contributions of student ambassadors. 
• Engaged in productive dialogues, offering feedback on what aspects of their courses were working effectively and where improvements could be made.
• Engaged with an interactive word cloud generator and took part in an online survey - to feedback on course-specific challenges, propose solutions, and share ideas for enhancing student engagement and inclusivity.
• Learned from BABS course convenors about how the SAP supports students of all backgrounds and abilities and encourages a culture of inclusivity and diversity.
• Discovered opportunities to join the SAP.

Organised by UNSW School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (BABS).

Learn more

Hula Hooping Event | Tuesday 19 September | 1.00 - 2.00pm | Helen Maguire Lawn (Quad Lawn)

Tried hula hooping lately? Did you think it was just for kids?

The School of Health Sciences transformed the way we moved with this fun, rainbow-packed, music-pumping hula hooping activity on the Helen Macguire (Quad) Lawn. We celebrated diverse sexualities, sexes and genders whilst promoting physical activity and fun.

Hula hoop is an activity for people from all walks of life and participants joined our experienced hula queen for this fun and interactive session or cheered and danced from the sidelines.

EveryBODY was welcome.

Organised by UNSW Medicine & Health. 

Workshop | Tuesday 19 September | 10.00 - 11.30am | MCIC Makerspace (G19)

The MCIC Makerspace is an amazing place where everyone is welcome and anyone can create! Participants were assisted in using vector design tools to create a file that can be laser cut and walked away with a piece of jewellery or a badge that represents them. It was a chance for participants to express themselves with no experience required.

We wanted to empower everyone to feel confident in the makerspace and hopefully come back to make more awesome things! We promoted a safe and inclusive space where all we want is for people to have fun making things together. By seeing what everyone made we were able to celebrate both our similarities and our differences. Let's foster people sharing their experiences, identities, and backgrounds!

Organised by MCIC Makerspace, Division of Research & Enterprise.

Workshop | Tuesday 19 September | 2.00 - 4.00pm | Gallery 1, John Niland Scientia Building

In an era where digital resources are the cornerstone of education - further intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic - it is crucial that all students have equal access to learning materials. This includes the 4.4 million Australians living with disabilities, and the 11% of students requiring special educational support. Attendees in this workshop were taught the skills to create accessible digital learning environments, including: 

1. How to identify common accessibility issues and understand their impact on student learning.
2. Step-by-step demonstration and hands-on practice for creating accessible Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents.

Everyone was welcome at this workshop as educators, staff, education designers, and students could all benefit from learning accessibility skills.

Organised by UNSW Business School.

Workshop | Tuesday 19 September | 10am - 3pm | UNSW Library Exhibition Space, Level 5

Crafting Stories of Care was a drop-in workshop run by UNSW Library Artist-in-Residence, Michele Elliot, as part of the exhibition Care is a relationship. Participants stitched their stories about giving and receiving care to contribute towards the production of an artwork exploring caregiving through craft. Elliot facilitated the creative session, providing guidance and hands-on instruction - no previous sewing experience was required. The resulting collaborative artwork, titled A Cloak of Care, will evolve over the duration of the exhibition and students can revisit the show to see their story in the tapestry documenting and collecting diverse perspectives.

Organised by UNSW Library.

Learn more

Live music | Tuesday 19 September | 1 - 2pm | Roundhouse Beer Garden

This special edition of Live @ Lunch featured a live music performance by Colette Estelle, a professional singer, songwriter and musician based in Sydney, Australia. 

Organised by Arc.

Panel | Thursday 21 September | 5-6.30pm | Galleries, John Niland Scientia building

Join writer and curator Sabina McKenna for a discussion about what it’s like to experience a cultural identity that doesn't match what other people see.

Australia is made up of generations of culturally and linguistically diverse people and home to the oldest continuous Indigenous cultures in the world. Yet stereotypes, historical pressures to assimilate, feelings of internalised racism and racial imposter syndrome are just some reasons, among many, that black and brown people struggle to find a sense of belonging.

What if you identify with more than one culture at home? Or you don’t connect to your parents' ethnic origins at all, because you were raised in another country to them? What does it mean to be part of a diaspora?

How can we find a sense of community and belonging through other people who are like us?

These questions were unpacked in a panel discussion with local BIPOC creatives and speakers this Diversity Festival.

Organised by the Division of Equity Diversity & Inclusion. 

Seminar and Q&A | Thursday 21 September | 10.00am - 12.00pm | Gallery 2, John Niland Scientia Building

Inclusive Education comprises practices that make teaching and learning more accessible to all students. It is framed by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to increase the accessibility of tertiary education to a wider population of students.

UNSW educators who teach inclusively presented their work at this showcase, followed by a Q&A. The showcase was a unique opportunity for the UNSW teaching community and others to learn about different inclusive technologies and practices and how to incorporate them into their teaching and learning to make them more accessible.

Organised by UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture and UNSW Disability Innovation Institute. 

Pecha Kucha presentations | Thursday 21 September | 1-2pm | UPDATED LOCATION: Galleries, Scientia 

Intersections between the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies and practices are complex. Sustainable development research, education and practices are often scientifically and technologically focused, and may overshadow issues, agencies and impacts associated with equity, diversity and inclusion of communities and environments.

Pecha Kucha presentations by 10 UNSW luminaries – ranging from students, postgraduates, academics, professional staff and university leaders – demonstrated how their approaches to EDI intersect with the SDGs. Each speaker had 10 slides and 20 seconds on each slide to make their case, akin to 3-minute thesis presentations on steroids!

UNSW's progress towards and promotion of the SDGs is measured by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. By attending this SDGs event, you were directly contributing to our university’s Impact Rankings!

Organised by UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture. 
 

UPDATED LOCATION: Galleries, Scientia

Watch the recording

Film screening and Q&A | Thursday 21 September | 5.00 - 6.30pm | Ritchie Theatre, John Niland Scientia Building 

Directed by Dr. Natalia Ortiz Ceberio and Javier Castro.

About 700 Spanish women arrived in Australia during the early 1960s supported by an informal agreement between the regime of Francisco Franco (1939-1975) and the Australian Government of that time. This agreement was known as the Martha's Plan (El Plan Marta). The women came to Australia with the expectation that they were coming to work as domestic servants when the real intention of the plan was to balance the gender makeup of the mostly male Spanish community in Australia. The agreement was in effect for several years and received the support of the Catholic Church in Spain. These were the stories of some of the brides.

Introduced by Ms Rebeca Chantal GUINEA STAL- Consul-General of Spain

Presenter: Timothy O'Leary, Head of School Humanities and Languages

Film and Q&A with the Director and protagonists.

Organised by UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture (School of Humanities and Languages).

Food Stall | Thursday 21 September | 11am - 2pm | Amphitheater, Canberra campus

Get ready to embark on an epicurean adventure like no other! UNSW Canberra presented the highly anticipated International Food Fete, a celebration of cultures, cuisines, and connections. This was your exclusive invitation to a gastronomic and cultural soirée that tantalised your taste buds, uplifted your spirits, and expanded your horizons.

Organised by Arc Canberra. 

Workshop | Thursday 21 September | 1-4pm | UNSW Canberra

Art therapy provides us with many benefits. Relaxation and de-stressing, a safe social environment, self-expression and easily accessible for many people to name a few. With this in mind, EDI teamed up with Marrawuy Journeys Indigenous Art Therapy to offer UNSW CBR students and staff the opportunity to immerse themselves in an afternoon of culture, artistic expression and fun to create their own unique print that will look schmick in your home!

No equipment was required. Just yourself and a smile!

Organised by UNSW Canberra. 

Social Media Campaign | Online, UNSW Culture 

This campaign brought together students from diverse cultural backgrounds to share a simple yet powerful message: their names. In a series of engaging videos, these vibrant voices introduced their names and cultural backgrounds, shared stories, and offered a warm invitation to the audience to join them in embracing cultural diversity. The campaign's central theme was to encourage correct pronunciation while acknowledging the beauty that lies within every name.

Expect to be moved by the authenticity and pride with which each student introduces themselves. As you watch these videos, you'll experience a sense of connection and unity, realizing that our campus is a vibrant mosaic of identities, languages, and stories.

Organised by UNSW Culture. 

Watch now

Exhibition and Interactive Makerspace | UNSW Library Exhibition Space

How might we care better for ourselves, each other, and the places we hold dear? Care is a relationship is an exhibition that draws from research projects led by the Black Dog Institute, Maridulu Budyari Gumal SPHERE, and UNSW’s 3C (Career Coaching for Carers) program. Each explores different aspects of care, and the social, emotional and environmental relationships at the heart of health and wellbeing. Part exhibition, part interactive makerspace, the project invites audiences to learn about and share all kinds of experiences - from caring for a loved one with dementia, caring for our own and others' mental health, to caring for country in the face of climate collapse.

Showing at UNSW Library Exhibition Space, Level 5, from 4 September to 17 November 2023.

Organised by UNSW Library.

Learn more

Microscopy Art Exhibition | Foyer space, John Niland Scientia Building 

Come along to "The Illuminators: Scope for Change" microscopy art exhibition to celebrate the beautiful, creative work of a scientifically and culturally diverse group of female microscopists from UNSW and learn about all the different ways we can use microscopy to answer scientific questions and make new discoveries.

We hoped that by attending this exhibition you were not only exposed to the world of scientific research, but also saw that being a scientist doesn't mean you have to look a certain way.

There was also an opportunity to vote for your favourite microscopy artwork!

Organised by UNSW Medicine & Health, School of Biomedical Sciences.

Display | Kensington and Paddington Campuses

The UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture Linguistic Diversity Project is designed to explore and understand the linguistic experiences within the faculty. The display aimed to present any obstacles that staff from linguistically diverse backgrounds may encounter in their professional life and highlight the contributions made by our multilingual colleagues. It also included proposed recommendations to the faculty about how linguistically diverse staff can be supported and their contributions acknowledged. 

Staff could view the display in the staff kitchen area of Level 3, Morven Brown Building (C20) on Kensington campus and at the Courtyard on Paddington campus. 

Organised by UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture.