Brac University collaborates with UNHCR to ignite social change
On March 7th , Brac University in collaboration with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) hosted a brainstorming session. The session aimed at fostering resilience and empathy within our society and beyond, by initiating a series of interactive workshops scheduled for the upcoming months which will engage students.
UNHCR representatives Shahirah Majumdar and Kevin Lindblom conducted an interactive session that shed light on the diverse perspectives on the issues at hand. Students actively engaged in group discussions where they shared their reflections, participated in dialogue, and exchanged ideas, which was followed by a question and answer session. Students from different departments of the university attended and participated in the event, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the initiative. Firdous Azim, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of English and Humanities at Brac University, along with Dr. Mahruba Mowtushi and Jahin Kaiissar, co-advisors of Bracu Resonance, alongside other esteemed faculty members, were present at the event.
Films produced for the 2024 Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF) hosted by UNHCR in collaboration with the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) were screened. Nowrin Islam Rio (Senior, CSE), top prize winner of the 2024 DIMFF and director of the short film “The Unbreakable Wall” shared her reflections on the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis, following which her film, as well as other prize-winning films from DIMFF were screened. The session ended with a presentation of Rohingya cultural artifacts and distribution of the Sumner 2022 issue of the Rohingyatographer, a unique photography magazine produced by a team of talented Rohingya photographers based in Kutupalong refugee camp, the world’s largest refugee situated in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The magazine was founded by the editor of Rohingyatographer, Sahat Zia Hero whereas David Palazòn is the one who designed and curated the magazine.
The session as well as the collaboration workshops which are to be held in April and May will be coordinated by Samirah Tabassum, Lecturer of the Department of English and Humanities, Brac University. She envisions the collaboration as a transformative experience where students will have the opportunity to translate classroom discussions into meaningful actions, thereby taking significant steps towards making enduring contributions to our shared future.
