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10:00am: Official Opening Speech & Welcome
Councillor Rotimi Adebari*, recently elected Mayor of Portlaoise Town Council
Mr. Mike FitzGibbon*, Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods, UCC.
Ice Breaker: An Introduction to Irish by Dr. Ciaran Dawson, Ionad Na Gaeilge Labhartha
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10:30am: Integration and participation: the International Student’s perspective.
Speakers:
Neo Zhang*, Northern Ireland’s International Student of the Year 2007.
Diane-Sabenacio Nititham*, Metro Eireann journalist and PhD student, UCD.
11:10am: Questions and Answers from the floor.
12.00 pm: Diversity on Campus: The Students’ Union perspective
Speakers:
Manuel Yoacham*, President Erasmus Student Network UCD
Kris McElhinney*, President University College Cork Students Union.
Gary Lanigan*, Vice President & Welfare Officer, Students Union, ITT Dublin.
1:00pm: Panel discussion & questions from the audience
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2:30 pm: Short presentations on the following topics:
3:15pm: Parallel workshops
4:00pm: Plenary Reports from Parallel Workshops and Questions and Answers from the floor
4:45pm: Closing Remarks by Hamidreza Khodabakhshi, Education Officer Union of Students in Ireland
4:55pm: Closing Speech by Colin Tannam, ICOS Programme Officer
5:00pm: Multicultural Reception
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*Rotimi Adebari became the first black mayor in the Republic of Ireland when he was elected Mayor of Portlaoise in June 2007. The new mayor said his election was proof that Ireland is not just a country of a thousand welcomes, but it is a country of equal opportunity. Elected as a Councillor in 2004, Nigerian born Mr Adebari has a Masters degree in Intercultural Studies from Dublin City University. He is involved in many intercultural organisations working in close co-operation with government agencies to bring about a further understanding of the many cultures that are now found in Ireland and how future changes can be planned for in advance.
*Mike FitzGibbon took his primary degree in Maths Science. After a decade spent working in engineering, principally in the electronics sector, he spent a number of years working in development in East Africa, after which he took an MSc in Rural Development, with a particular focus on developing country issues. He worked with the Higher Education Equality Unit for four years at the turn of the millennium, in the areas of ethnicity and interculturalism; at this time, he also worked in the International Famine Centre, a centre set up around the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine, researching issues around food insecurity and famine. Mike now works within the Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods, in the Food Business and Development Department in UCC. He lectures on the new BSc in International Development programme, covering topics such as international development, conflict and peace, and communications and development. Current research areas include the uses of information and communication technologies in development, in particular as a means of addressing social deprivation, and strategies that mitigate against the spread of HIV-AIDS.
*Neo Zhang, Northern Ireland’s International Student of the Year 2007, studied Management at Queens University. He beat off stiff competition from more than 2000 students, representing 130 nationalities, to win the award. The first Chinese national to become a student officer at Queen's, Neo has been active in promoting multi-culturalism and diversity by organising events, writing articles for the University's newspapers and presenting a talk-show on Queen's Radio. As Deputy Convenor of the National Union of Students and Student Union of Ireland (NUS-USI), he organised a cross-campus "Multicultural Awareness Training" event, which resulted in his being asked to help translate a prisoners' handbook into Mandarin and Cantonese. He also served as NUS-USI's Student Volunteering Officer. During his internship with Invest Northern Ireland he was voted Best Newcomer 2006 by his colleagues, in recognition of both his work performance and his commitment to voluntary activities.
*Diane-Sabenacio Nititham, a Filipina/Thai American, is pursuing a PhD in Women’s Studies at University College Dublin. Her research focuses on meanings of home for Filipina migrant workers in the Irish care industry. She is a co-convener of the Feminist Reading Interrogative Group and has co-organised seminars and conferences in Women’s Studies, UCD. Diane has a BA in Communication with an emphasis in media and cultural studies and an MA in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Diane contributes articles on a regular basis to Metro Eireann Newspaper.
*Hamidreza Khodabakhshi studied Structural Engineering at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), where he served as Vice President in charge of Academic and Student Affairs at DIT Students’ Union. Now USI Education Officer, Hamidreza’s priorities for campaigning include securing improved access to Higher Education, improved grants and supports for all students, greater inclusion of students from lower income backgrounds, minority backgrounds, students with disabilities, mature Students and international students. Hamidreza sits on educational bodies such as the Higher Education Training and Awards Council (HETAC) and the Irish Higher Education Quality Network (IHEQN). He is the officer with special responsibility for academic and European Affairs and also chairs USI’s Education Working Group.
*Kris McElhinney, a recent graduate of UCC, is the current Students’ Union President in UCC. During the 4 years which he spent studying in UCC, he held a variety of positions. As well as founding the Journalism society, sitting on both the Societies and Clubs Executive, Kris has also held office with a number of political societies. This was then followed last year by serving as the Societies President in UCC.
*Gary Lanigan, graduate in the BA in Business Management from the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT), Dublin, is currently the Vice President/Welfare Officer in the Students’ Union, ITT. Gary’s priorities as Welfare Officer include; campaigning for improved student safety amidst the recent attacks on innocent students; highlighting the ever increasing problems surrounding alcohol such as drink driving and unwanted pregnancy. Since joining the Students Union in Tallaght, Gary has dealt with a lot of cases from both home students and international students. Over the summer, Gary along with 11 other people made up of ITT staff and students, made the long trip to Kenya where he spent 2 weeks volunteering. The voluntary work involved visiting some deprived parts of the country. As part of the volunteer work, Gary distributed donations and helped to teach children.
*Loice C. Kashangura, a Zimbabwean student who is currently completing her final year of the BA in Theology and Anthropology at Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, was appointed the institution’s International Student Representative. Loice is a professionally qualified secondary school teacher and has taught in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda. Other areas of interest and courses undertaken include; Creative group facilitation, gender-based violence/child protection in humanitarian agencies, working together-managing human interactions and dealing with conflict. Loice has engaged in extensive development work to empower disadvantaged women in Uganda and Zimbabwe.
*Ciarán Dunne holds a BA in International Marketing and Languages, and an MA in Intercultural Studies from DCU. He is currently in the final year of his PhD, which focuses on the barriers to, and facilitators of, intercultural contact from the perspective of host culture students in an Irish university. Ciarán lectures in Intercultural Communication and Spanish Language in DCU and has completed courses on 'Strategic Planning for Campus Diversity' and 'Creating the New Intercultural Campus' while working as an intern at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in the United States. His main research interests are cultural diversity in higher education and the internationalisation of higher education.
*Sarah Holt works in the International Office at University College Dublin, where she assists international students who are making the transition to the Irish higher education system. Sarah has a BA in English and German from Bowdoin College, USA, an MPhil in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Intercultural Studies from Dublin City University. Her interests are integration of international students and intercultural learning. Sarah has been an international student in Sri Lanka, Germany and Ireland.