A weeklong festival is celebrating cultural diversity and multiculturalism, rolling out between 12-18 October at The University of Queensland’s Gatton campus.
UQ international student mentor and veterinary epidemiologist, Associate Professor Joerg Henning, is thrilled to be coordinating the event in conjunction with UQ’s School of Veterinary Science’s International Veterinary Student Association (IVSA).
“Diversity Festival 2019 week-long line up of events and festivities celebrating the enormous cultural diversity at UQ Vet School,” he said.
“The inspiration behind the event is to celebrate cultural diversity on the Gatton campus and help domestic and international students exchange cultural experiences.”
President of IVSA, Pavithra Ramesh, said the big week kicks off with a social media contest on 12 October.
Students have the opportunity to post a picture, a literature piece or an artwork on Facebook with the #UQVetsInTheMaking hashtag, best describing what inspires them to be in the vet school,” she said.
“All entries will be displayed on the 18/10 at the grant finale and the best entries will receive prizes.
“Then, on Monday 14 October, we’ll be hosting the Vet School PlayDay - day full of fun sports and games, snacks and energy drinks to keep participants hydrated and refreshed as they play badminton, table tennis and various culturally-inspired games from around the world.”
On Tuesday 15 October, Groovy Movie Night will introduce culturally-diverse and possibly animal-focussed movies, with karaoke, popcorn and pizza.
“With good snacks and great singing, you can't possibly go wrong,” Dr Henning said.
“On Thursday 17 October, we’ll be holding an enormous event - The Mi Casa Es Su Casa - held from noon-2pm.
“We’ll have between 10 and 15 country-specific stalls set up on the central walkway, showcasing the huge cultural diversity at UQ’s veterinary school.
“There’ll be food from various countries, games, and trivia questions that relate to different countries and stalls will be managed by students in their traditional attire who will also be showing vet-related items from their home countries.”
To end on a high note, the event will conclude with a grand finale on Friday 18 October, held in the Hamon Centre from 4pm until 9pm.
Associate Professor Joerg Henning highlighted that the grand finale event will close the week with cultural performances by students, and the winner of the week’s social media contest will be announced.
“This will be accompanied by dinner with dishes from all over the world, and will feature international music, dance and theatrical presentations from students, followed by delicious international foods.
“The week is an incredible opportunity for the staff, students and the community to learn about different cultural backgrounds, languages and cross-cultural expressions like dance, music and poetry.”
More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page.
Financial support for the event was provided by the Faculty of Science.
Media: Joerg Henning, j.henning@uq.edu.au, +61 5460 1846; Dominic Jarvis, dominic.jarvis@uq.edu.au, +61 413 334 924.
