In my role as Equity and Diversity Director at the University of Western Sydney I have initiated UWS community dinners to honour the special relationship between the CALD communities and the University.

The UWS Chinese Dinner was the second of a set of community events aimed at celebrating the largest culturally diverse communities of Greater Western Sydney, including the Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian communities; UWS organises also Ramadan Iftar breaking of fast dinner.  For more information about the UWS Chinese Community Dinner see:

http://www.uws.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/uws_honours_chinese_community_with_special_dinner

Sev will address the Sydney 2013 Quo Vadis Conference “Connecting Tomorrow’s Future” to be held at Rydges Hotel on 4 – 6 October 2013.

Dr Ozdowski’s address is entitled “Heritage and participation in a new society – a personal journey”. See it here:

 Quo Vadis Conference, Sydney – PowerPoint Presentation

For more about the conference see:

info@quovadisconferences.org.au

www.quovadisconferences.org.au

I am pleased to inform that “Racism in Australia: Our past, present and future” article from http://www.fecca.org.au/mosaic/archive/mosaic-issue-31-july-2012/racism-in-Australia-our-past-present-and-future  will be republished by the Spinney Press in an educational resource book entitled “Racial Prejudice and Discrimination”, which is Volume  370 in the “Issues in Society” series.

The article will be also broadly available as an electronic edition (secure PDF). The book is intended for use as a cross-curricular reference resource by Australian secondary schools. For more information: www.spinneypress.com.au

On Friday 13 September, the UN Human Rights Council will be discussing ‘traditional values’, which is often touted as the “ASEAN way” by SE Asian leaders. Throughout the region, ‘traditional values’ is the argument often used by the authorities and/or majority groups to suppress the voices and rights of religious minority groups, indigenous people, women and the LGBT community.

Please go to the website prepared by Judy Taing, Asia Programme Officer and to stand up for UNIVERSAL human rights.

Judy Has launched a Thunderclap on Friday (9am UK time), to send a clear message to the UN and international community that we believe human rights are universal and that the Human Rights Council must reject ‘traditional values’.

Go to:  https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/3928-human-rights-are-for-everyone

I received this report from Rohingya Intellectual Group Sydney. I am very concern about situation of Rohingyas in Burma, please read the attached:    Rohingyas Most Persecuted People in the World

See attached: 3-4 September 2013 UN CRPD

Election 2013 and Human Rights

Paper on Multiculturalism – presented at Cracow IHREC by Sev Ozdowski

My best congratulations to Andrew Penfold, Founder of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation has won the inaugural NSW Human Rights Award. He was awarded the medal by  Premier Barry O’Farrell in Parliament House today. Mr Penfold has raised more than $80 million to send hundreds of young Aboriginal people to  boarding schools and university.

Once again, congratulations to Andrew on this achievement and to the NSW Government on establishment of this important award.

Associate Professor Joseph Zajda, Ph.D. FACE (Education Victoria) was elected Fellow of the Australian College of Educators.Fellowship is one of the highest honours that the college can bestow. Fellows have been judged by their peers to have made a distinctive and outstanding contribution to education in Australia. The 2013 Fellowships were announced by National President-Elect, Professor Stephen Dinham (the University of Melbourne), at a gala dinner held in Melbourne on 20 June.

FACE Citation: 

Associate Professor Joseph Zajda has made outstanding contribution to research in education with particular emphasis on globalisation, gender and equity and to the enhancement of teacher education. Joseph has made an impressive contribution to educational scholarship at a national and international level for over 30 years. The breadth and volume of his scholarly achievements far exceed beyond the normal expectation of an academic. His research is innovative, engaging and influential. His publication record is most impressive: 69 works in four languages in 224 publications (7,049 university library holdings). This includes editing or co-editing many books for Springer (a major academic publisher). He brings immense research expertise to his work in the classroom. He has provided outstanding service to the profession through his editorial work. This far exceeds the formal requirements of his position. He has established a series of leading academic journals, enabling Australian scholars in the field of education to share their research with an international audience. A hallmark of his contribution to our professional is the generous support he provides to young researchers. This is clearly evident in his work with the World Council of Comparative and Education Societies, the Comparative and International Education Society and UNESCO’s International Review of Education Journal, EB member and guest-editor of special issues.