Flashpoint

Flashpoint: St. John’s College Global News Forum What could we do together?

start an evolution.ca

Deepening our understanding of global media stories with insight + intelligence

Deepening our understanding of global media stories November 10, 2010 — Maclean’s magazine asks if UBC and the University of Toronto are “too Asian”.

December 18, 2010 — Civilian uprisings begin in Tunisia and spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

July 20, 2011 — The United Nations declares a famine in southern Somalia, the first in over 30 years, leaving 4 million people in crisis with 750,000 at risk of death in four months.

September 17, 2011 — Occupy Wall Street protests begin in New York City. Similar demonstrations follow in cities across North America and western Europe.

Every few months an event captures global media attention and creates a flashpoint of interest. Often the analysis of what is going on is limited by the constraints of mass media and editorial interest. This editorial filter can miss the changing nature of context, and the influence of language and culture, limiting citizens’ access to perspectives that are thoughtful of changes in history, current needs, rigorous thought, and innovative solutions.

Igniting engaged discussion St. John’s College is a residential community of 160 students. Two-thirds are from countries outside Canada. The College provides a supportive environment which facilitates discussion of difficult and potentially divisive issues.

As the diverse residents of the College develop trust and goodwill by living and dining side-by-side, engaged conversations evolve and inform flashpoint issues with a depth and insight that goes far beyond what short-term media attention typically offers.

The St. John’s College community has great capacity to inform and discuss global concerns. They need to take it to the next level by engaging with leading experts and community members who have rich experience with these issues which shape our history and future. The outcome will be an engaged and informed community that is better able to provide leadership in a complex world.

Content + design: Jeffrey Hsu, College for Interdisciplinary Studies rev 02/2012

Bridging the gap Now is the time to build on the potential of St. John’s College to engage with the community and noted experts.

We need to put together an investment of $100,000 over five years to provide opportunities to engage concerned citizens, our students, and leading experts in the Global News Forum. Through lectures, workshops, and microconferences, the community will explore issues of local and global importance in ways that intellectually engage participants from on and off campus communities.

We will build upon the successful model of the College’s “Muslim Identities” series. This initiative drew an audience of 600 to meet Zarqa Nawaz, creator of “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and panellists examining the changing perception of Islam in a post-9/11 world.

We invite you to participate in igniting this initiative by making a gift to the St. John’s College Global News Forum Fund, which is dedicated to linking deep discourse with thoughtful analysis, thus broadening and enriching our understanding of the events that influence our world and inextricably link us with our global neighbours.

For more information, please contact: Sandra Shepard 604.822.0533 sjc.operations@ubc.ca