Yeronga State High School has been shortlisted in the Excellence in Industry Partnership category at the 2015 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools.
The nomination recognises the productive partnership established between the south Brisbane school and Griffith Business School through the GriffithBUSINESS School Outreach Program.
Thirty five Year 12 students have taken part in this year’s program which creates pathways for high school students not only to go to university but also to prepare for life as a university student.
Along with senior teacher Kerrie Hopewell and Griffith Business Schools Engagement Manager Simone Markham, students were in the TV spotlight last week when Network 10 visited the school for filming ahead of awards night on October 30.
“It is a life-changing program, not just for the individual students but for their families and for generations to come,” Kerrie Hopewell said.
“Students are welcomed into the university environment, they are engaged and challenged and moved gently out of their comfort zone.”
“It is fantastic to see how their confidence and belief in themselves grows during the course of the program, as the idea of attending university emerges as a genuinely attainable goal.”
Year 12 student, Farzana Hussaina (18), hopes to do a double degree in Business Management and Event Management at Griffith. She said the program offered her a realistic pathway to fulfil this dream.
Yeronga State High School has participated in the program since 2012. The program combines QSA syllabus content and university course content to generate a deeper knowledge about business subjects like sport and event management, human resources, accountingfinance and international relations to name a few.
At the same time the program develops a stronger understanding of the tertiary environment among students.
Activities start with Year 10 and 11 business students who initially join the GriffithBUSINESS Ambassadors Program which introduces them to the university environment. In Year 12 they take part in university activities like lectures, tutorials and assessments.
“The program sets students up to succeed,” Kerrie Hopewell said. “They have the opportunity to get involved in university life and take responsibility for the way they approach this.”
Associate Professor Ruth McPhail, one of the creators of the GriffithBUSINESS Schools Outreach Program, welcomed the program’s selection as one of three finalists for the industry partnership awards.
“This nomination is testament to the quality and impact of a program that is making a real difference in the community,” she said.
The Showcase Awards, which are in their 15th year, recognise and reward Queensland state schools that are significantly improving student learning outcomes through excellent teaching practice.
Schools across the state will be celebrated in six categories when the winners are announced at the end of October at the Showcase Awards Gala Dinner at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Western Cape College and Gympie State High School are the other finalists in the Excellence in Industry Partnerships category. Gympie State High has also engaged with the GriffithBUSINESS Program since 2013, with eight Year 12 students graduating from the program this year.
In total 389 high school students graduated from the GriffithBUSINESS Program this year from schools linked to Griffith’s Nathan, Gold Coast and Logan campuses.
byTori Zeidler,third year journalism student.
A full audience of friends and family was present to support the 19 finalists competing in Griffith’s Three Minute Thesis Final (3MT).
The winner would win not only the Griffith title but also the chance to compete inthe UQ Trans-Tasman finals on Friday (2nd October).
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Engagement) Professor Martin Betts said that the 3MT had become an invaluable professional development opportunity in the Twitter age.
“It’s never been more important to effectively communicate research outcomes to the wider community. In an age of distraction, complex ideas must cut through if they are to achieve the dividends they deserve,” Professor Betts said.
“Our finalists presented projects on a fascinating and diverse range of topics, but the common denominator was clear, concise communication.”
Professor Betts said the 3MT was the perfect way for the next generation of researchers to develop “an elevator pitch” that would encourage new collaborations within and outside the academy.
The overall winner on the night was Courtney Williams, from the Queensland Conservatorium, who presented a fantastic talk on Prescribing music for surgery and the wonderful calming effects music can have on pre-operative patients.
Courtney won a $1,000 research travel grant to go towards her thesis.
The runner-up prize of $750 was awarded to Georgia Tobiano, from the school of Nursing and Midwifery, who presented her Three Minute Thesis on Patient participation in nursing care.
David Harman took out the people’s choice award which saw him walk away with $500 towards his research thesis about Epidemic modelling: Dealing with uncertainty.
Dean of Griffith Graduate Research School, Professor Sue Berners-Price, also praised the 3MT for being such a wonderful event for the research community to get involved with.
“It gives our higher degree researchers and honours students the chance to interact with their peers and develop contacts as well as the opportunity to get involved and potentially with the $1,000 research travel grant,” Professor Berners-Price said.
Professor Berners-Price said the task of choosing one winner out of 19 exceptional entrants was always challenging as all the competitors presented such compelling research theses.
“I am honoured to have played a part in the Griffith University 2015 three minute thesis and look forward to seeing what we can produce next year.”
The event is organised by Sts Peter and Paul Parish Social Justice Committee – Bulimba in Collaboration with the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane
In talking to the general public about the state of Australian law regarding refugees and asylum seekers, I always have one key message, inspired by the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The way refugee issues are debated in Australia is very extreme — framed as harshness as the only alternative to anarchy and being overrun by the world’s poor. This is simply not the case and I have the numbers to prove it. Australia does not have a refugee crisis, and people arriving on boats are not a threat. We can manage the boat arrivals in a sensible and legal manner while working to give desperate people better alternatives to that risky journey. ‘No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land’ says the world of Syrian refugees — but not us.
Even yesterday Prime Minister Turnbull answered Bill Shorten’s question on releasing children from detention that the policy was “tough”, even “harsh”, but “people had died” under previous policies. He said offshore detention, third country resettlement, and boat turnarounds, had saved lives. This is law through Alice’s looking glass indeed, considering people have died on Manus on our watch, have been sexually assaulted on Nauru and we have no way of knowing the fate of those on turned back boats.
Refugee law in Australia has been so constantly amended , challenged and avoided by policy measures as to have become farcical. Malaysia, Timor, Pacific – our solutions are always elsewhere and never last. But in many ways, all our byzantine machinations mean very little under international law, where it is protection from non-refoulement, basic human rights and durable solutions which count.
The 1951 Refugee Convention is complex and imperfect, and yet noble. It has stood the test of time far better than expected for a treaty designed to deal with Jewish refugees after WWII. But it was never meant as a substitute for political solutions to conflict and mass displacement. It cannot deal with the impact of climate change. And the Convention only has value where its principles are respected by states who sign it.
There is a middle path between our current policies and open borders, and it is both sensible and in our long term selfinterest, and that is to work with UNHCR and our neighbours. We should reject the framing of deaths at sea versus inhumane offshore detention as the only two alternatives. This framing is neither truthful nor lawful. Holding to a human rights and humanitarian approach is the moderate path because it is the globally agreed standard. Working with our neighbours for the long term is the only path. What Australia is doing in militarising our asylum policy is considered by most of the world an extreme overreaction to our situation and damaging our reputation.Most see it as racism or Islamophobia. This ad in particular, featuring our Chief of Defence Force no less, is a diplomatic disgrace.
We just spent $55 million on FOUR refugees in Cambodia in the middle of a ‘budget crisis’, at the expense of investing in a regional plan on people movements, or directed aid. We have spent the whole operating budget of UNHCR on a few terrified people on Manus and Nauru while the rest of the world is focused on one of the worst refugee flows from Syria in global history. While the world wept over the photo of baby Aylan Kurdi, we were preparing to send traumatised kids back to indefinite detention, and only doctors at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne have taken a stand. As a humanitarian, these facts appal me.
There are durable solutions possible for refugees and they are certainly not easy to implement. But the world, and Australia, has done it before. The unilateral policies Australia is pursuing now are unsustainable if there is a real surge in numbers. And heaven help us if Australians ever need protection elsewhere.
Australian swimmer and Griffith student Jess Ashwood will be the star of the show this weekend at the second MS Swimathon on Sunday 18 October 2015.
To be held at the University’s Mt Gravatt Aquatic and Fitness Centre, the event willhelp raise vital funds for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is designed for participants of all ages and abilities.
Ms Ashwood, who was selected to represent Australia at the2012 Summer Olympicsin the 800-metre freestyle event, is also in her first year of study at Griffith for a double degree in Psychological Science, Criminology and Criminal Justice. She is also a member of the Griffith Sports College.
“Being the Griffith ambassador for the MS Swimathon is a privilege and I see it as a great way of giving back to the community,” says the Sydney-born swimmer.
“As an elite athlete, I am lucky to be fit and healthy but I am aware that this is not the case for everyone and I am glad to be able to give back to those that struggle with MS and can be in pain every day.”
The key requirement of the relay is that teams must have one swimmer in the water at all times during the 12 hour event.
The event has already raised $15,000 for MS Queensland.
MS is becoming increasingly common, mainly amongst women aged between 20 years and 40 years. It’s an incurable disease which affects a person’s central nervous system causingirreparabledamage.
“MS QLDisdetermined to provide more services on Brisbane’s southside to help locals with MS remain living independently,” said MS Queensland CEO, Lincoln Hopper.
“There are more than 370 people living with MS on the southside of Brisbane alone, many of whom need our vital services like education and information workshops on managing their diagnosis, homes visits from an MS nurse, emergency respite, or long-term residential accommodation, depending on the nature and severity of their MS.”
Griffith Sports College Manager Duncan Free OAM, said: “It’s really great to see a representative swimmer supporting this event and great to see so many people already joining in on the day. We encourage as many people as possible to get involved — every little bit helps.
“It doesn’t matter if you can do 100 fast laps or doggy paddle just one, everyone can join in, have fun and support people living with MS.”
The MS Swimathon is a community-based event that encourages everyone to take part and raise money to help people living with MS. Participants can raise donations by asking for a one-off donation from friends and family or being sponsored based on the number of laps they can do.
Participants don’t need to be a ‘competitive’ swimmer to participate, people of all abilities can join in and take part. You can swim any style or distance that suits you, whether it be one or one hundred laps in doggy paddle, freestyle, sidestroke, or breaststroke — it is all about participation! For this year’s event, people are invited to register right up until the day at:
WHERE: Mount Gravatt Aquatic & Fitness Centre, Griffith University Mt Gravatt Campus.
TIME: 7am – 7pm
Phone: 07 3840 0887
By Bachelor of Communications intern Carla Baker
It’s never too late to begin a tertiary journey and change your life.
Mature-aged student, Peter Nash knows this firsthand. In his second year of a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Creative Writing, the over 55-year-old is relishing his time at university.
Before embarking on his study, Peter worked for many years as a panel beater, building hot rods and custom cars.
“This really is a second chance for me. I decided to go to uni and finally do what I’ve always wanted to do. Griffith was the right choice,’’ he said.
Enjoying university life, Peter has developed a sense of belonging among his peers.
“I gradually found myself becoming part of the student community, and a real camaraderie has been formed.
“I love the tutorials — and find the discussions really inspirational. You don’t get the opportunity to sit for two hours, and discuss interesting theories and ideas, with input from 20 other people, anywhere else.”
Peter Nash.
Following his undergraduate degree, Peter wants to continue his university journey and encourage others to understand the importance of the written word.
“I intend to keep studying! Ultimately, at some stage in the future I’d love to be in a position where I can inspire people about the importance of studying creative writing and literature.”
He encourages other mature-aged students to consider the possibility of undertaking a university degree.
“I would say go for it, dive into it and do it! Definitely don’t hesitate; just be prepared for a significant change.”
A national journalist, a rugby league star and an Olympic 100m Sprinter all shared their journeys of success and fame with Indigenous teenagers at an Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) event at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus.
‘Windows to Fame’ is a session on the AIME curriculum that encourages and inspires Gold Coast’s year 9 to 12 Indigenous high school students to achieve greatness and aspire to the AIME mantra “Indigenous Equals Success”.
The special Indigenous guests who shared their stories at ‘Windows to Fame’ were:
Canberra Raiders Player — Cleveland McGhie
Olympic 100m Sprinter — Patrick Johnson
Journalist and Television Presenter for NITV — Carly Wallace
Canberra Raiders Player Cleveland McGhie plays volleyball with Indigenous students.
Patrick Johnson’s time of 9.93s in the 100m stands as the fastest Australian time ever recorded. With this race Johnson became the first person of non-African descent to break the 10-second barrier.
Now working as a radio presenter for ABC in Darwin, Johnson said he was excited to support AIME and chat to almost 130 students who attended.
“Education is the key to success,” he told students after he spoke about his journey to a successful athletic career.
“Everyone has talent but it is what you do with that talent that makes all the difference.”
It is the first time Griffith has hosted the AIME program.
Journalist and Television Presenter for NITV Carly Wallace (second from left).
AIME program coordinator for Gold Coast campus Ty Smith said he enjoyed working with students and encouraging them to achieve their best.
“From starting as a volunteer mentor in 2012 to now working for the organisation that was just voted top 10 best places to work in Australia there is no where I’d rather be,” he said.
“At AIME we recognize our kids are born super heroes, we just teach them how to fly.”
The Indigenous high school students were partnered with Griffith University student mentors, to expose them to higher education and university life.
Bachelor of Exercise Science student Julian Conboy said AIME was the perfect opportunity for current students to provide advice they wish they had received.
“It’s important for us to show what uni is really like, that it’s not a scary place,” he said.
“We also get to teach our Indigenous culture to younger students and that is important in building pride and maintaining our traditions.”
Issues and resources to support mental health and wellbeing will be the focus of a Griffith University symposium at South Bank on Tuesday, October 20.
Speakers include Queensland Mental Health Commissioner and Griffith alumnus, Dr Lesley van Schoubroeck and Griffith University Counselling Services Head, Lexie Money.
The event is part of Griffith’s national university Mental Health and Wellbeing Day with each campus holding a range of activities.
“Mental health is a significant issue in our community and especially so for university students,” said Griffith University Student Services Director, Dr Joanna Peters.
“University represents a stressful time for many students managing academic, financial and personal issues.
“The mental health of university students is recognised internationally as an important public health issue and research suggests that rates of mental illness are higher for university students than the general population.”
She said students were less likely to perform well at university when suffering from mental illness.
“Mental health issues and illness are often associated with lower educational achievement, decreased employment, lower incomes and lower standard of living.
“It is estimated that 45% of Australians aged between 16 and 85 will experience a mental health-related issue/issues in their lifetime, while 20% will experience symptoms of a mental health disorder each year.”
20th Century Fox’s cinematic reboot of Fantastic Four has failed to fire up enthusiasm from film critics and left audiences stone cold.
This fourth attempt by Fox to bring Marvel’s first family to the movie screen (which includes an unreleased Roger Croman film and two early 2000 films with Captain America: The First Avenger star Chris Evans playing Johnny Storm) was distinctly un-fantastic both in execution and performance.
Instead of a gritty revival, Josh Trank’s film now joins other notable superhero misfires including Catwoman (2004), Green Lantern (2011) and Fox’s own Daredevil (2003).
While Marvel’s Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy films prove that audiences are open to the weirder stuff within comic books on screen, Josh Trank had promised in an exclusive interview with website Collider, that his film would emphasise the “body horror” of being transformed into a superhero. While some of those elements are retained in the movie, Trank has since disavowed the film publically on Twitter.
So have audiences finally succumb to superhero fatigue, as some in the film industry predicted (and which I have been expecting since 2012)?The contrary would seem to be self-evident with the sheer quantity of superhero films scheduled and with recent reboots of Spider-Man and Man of Steel having performed well at the box office (despite a mixed response from critics and audiences).
The problem at the heart of Fantastic Four is that it struggles with its own origin story. Superhero films as works of genre elicit certain expectations from their audience, which anticipate thematic reference points–we know that Bruce Wayne’s parents are brutally slain, that Clark Kent is an alien refugee and that a single spider-bite transforms Peter Parker into Spider-Man.
However, the site of the Fantastic Four’s transformation has been recalibrated from exposure to cosmic radiation to a volatile green goo from an alternative dimension. The turn is still accidental, as many superhero origin stories are, but the long set-up gives little space for the more intriguing David Cronenberg-like body horror that Trank had promised.
This points to Fantastic Four’s attempt to ground its origin story in a much harder science-fiction than the traditional superhero fare. In fact, Fantastic Four feels decidedly anti-superhero in its treatment of the material. From the development of their containment suits, which are designed to control their powers, to the emphasis on building an inter-dimensional teleporter, the film feels more like the latest sci-fi flick (think Ender’s Game or Interstellar), than a traditional superhero film.
It is not as if these genres are mutually exclusive, and there are certainly overlaps with other traditional institutional tropes of the Marvel Universe, such as the government’s treating these superheroes as super weapons.
In fact, most of the fun of this film comes from scenes where the Fantastic Four use their power with or against the military. We see the Thing, a military codename for Ben Grimm who has transformed into an incredibly strong and near indestructible rock monster, singlehandedly take out an enemy compound. Reed Richards, who can disguise his face using his body’s elasticity, escapes an ambush by punching out multiple soldiers from a distance with his fast, flexible and extendable arms.
So, given how sci-fi heavy this film turned out to be, is there any space for a cultural legal reading of the film? While such a reading does not lie in the overt content of the film–the criminological themes (Batman or Daredevil fighting for vigilante justice against a law that fails to deliver) of much of the superhero genre being absent, not to mention a lack of courts, lawyers, judges or even police in the film–the mode of operation of the film, in terms of its speculative science-fiction does give rise to questions that can be understood as cultural legal.
While much of this is wish-fulfillment (who hasn’t wanted to be able to build a teleporter in their garage?), speculative fiction encompasses a reflection on the reality of the auteur or viewer, despite its engagement and creation of different worlds, novums and characters.
While Trank points to the ‘reality’ of the studio’s control over the final product arguing that they are responsible for the un-fantastic outcomes, the fantastic itself is still captured in the mode of envisioning that these films present to us. By envisioning worlds of advanced technology, inter-dimensional travel or alien life, we explore reflections of our own desires, dreams and understanding of our world.
It is in this sense that we can understand films of speculative fiction like Fantastic Four as essentially world-creating and which reflect, in many ways, the world-creating nature of the law.
From this perspective, the role of the jurist and artist overlap in the space of the imaginary.
Law operates not just through legal institutions and forms but exists in the cultural legal imaginary that gives it substance and allows it to be brought into existence.
The representations of popular culture, which we enjoy or criticise, play a significant role in the development of our cultural legal imaginary–including those that do not specifically depict legal institutions.
The normative aspects of legal analysis and legal interpretation are always about the enforcing of a particular vision of the world on the factual situation in which it engages. While the director, author or artist may only be creating representations of alternate worlds or potential futures, the lawyer or jurist in many respects brings such an alternate world into being.
This is not to understand the law as being able to unproblematically construct or create the world (a particularly ‘modern’ vision of the task of law itself), but in reading speculative fiction as an analogue of law’s world-creating function enables us to see the world as gifted and storied, not simply as constructed–both created and contingent.
This ‘un-fantastic’ rendering of Fantastic Four represents this mode of ‘modern’ reasoning. Professor Storm and his Baxter Institute are founded on the ideals of solving the problems of the previous generation.
The reason it is full of wunderkinds is because the older generations have already failed. Yet, what remains is a belief that technological and scientific progress will save the world from ecological and other problems (created by technological and scientific progress).
While Victor von Doom has to be convinced to return to the Baxter Institute, it is on the premise that they can achieve something that no one else can.
The promise of the alternative dimension to which they venture is not just a chance for exploration, but for its ability to be exploited in order to resolve our world’s energy crisis.
But the engagement of an alternate dimension causes significant problems: when one looks at the void of destruction, the temptation is further destruction and not necessarily salvation–particularly if your name is Victor von Doom.
However, Doom’s attempt to destroy our world is, in good comic book tradition, the evil that needs to be eviscerated and what brings together the other special young men and woman and solidifies the ‘team’ of this superhero narrative.
In this sense, Fantastic Four recognises the need for interdependence. Individualism (represented by Doom) leads to destructive tendencies, but collectively (the ‘fantastic four’), there is potential for a higher purpose. While this might sound somewhat clichéd and naïve (and is represented with a degree of self-reflexive irony in the film, which concludes on the question of the name ‘fantastic four’) it is a theme that needs exploring: how do we envisage a means of being together that is not about destruction?
This underlying question of Fantastic Four is represented problematically, in a film that is un-fantastic and uneven in its execution.
But it bears serious consideration: how do we envision a law that focuses on interdependence and relationality rather than individualism and self-destruction?
While this summer blockbuster struggles to consider such a question, we can only hope that the scheduled fifth instantiation of the Fantastic Four on screen might attempt to answer it.
Brisbane Roar FC and Griffith University today announced a significant partnership which will see the University closely aligned with the Roar men’s Hyundai A-League team.
The John Aloisi-coached Roar will make Griffith University their formal Hyundai A-League training facility in Brisbane.
The Roar Westfield W-League squad, coached by Belinda Wilson, will have an extended training base on the Gold Coast at Musgrave Football Club, which is supported by Griffith Student Guild.
Brisbane Roar FC interim chief executive David Pourre said the partnership with Griffith University would allow the Roar to utilise the elite sporting facilities at Griffith campuses and allow for further pathways for the development of young footballers across the region.
“Brisbane Roar is committed to expanded engagement across Queensland,” Pourre said.
From left, Brisbane Roar captain Matt McKay, Roar interim chief executive David Pourre, Griffith Sports College Manager Duncan Free OAM, and Brisbane Roar W-League captain Clare Polkinghorne
“This partnership with Griffith University will allow the Roar to not only connect regularly with the university’s students and staff but will also provide the club with opportunities to benefit from the University’s ground-breaking and renowned research,” Pourre said.
“Having our Westfield W-League team expand their training base to include the Gold Coast is an opportunity to develop pathways for young girls to see, be inspired and potentially participate in football.”
Griffith Deputy Vice Chancellor (Engagement) Professor Martin Betts said the partnership with Brisbane Roar would benefit students, staff and the broader community.
“Having an elite, professional team such as Brisbane Roar on campus is terrific and will also lead us to possible student internships, research and collaborations that will further enhance Griffith’s reputation as a leading sports University,” Professor Betts said.
“We are particularly excited about facilitating the Roar Women’s presence on the Gold Coast and congratulate Musgrave Football Club and the Griffith Student Guild for helping make that a reality.
“This sporting partnership follows Griffith becoming an official partner of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and being overall runners-up nationally in the recent University Games.”
Griffith Sports College General Manager Duncan Free OAM, a gold-medal Olympic rower, said having elite athletes in close proximity would lead to more opportunities.
“Already we are looking at a research project involving young women in professional sport. These are the sorts of possibilities that will arise and integrate Griffith’s research, student and academic pursuits with the most successful Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League teams in the game,” he said.
The partnership will see Brisbane Roar train at Griffith University fields, gym and pool at Nathan and Mt Gravatt.
Clare Polkinghorne – Roar captain and Griffith Masters in Criminology student.
The Roar Women will train at Musgrave, which recently hosted the Australian University Games and the Football Gold Coast’s junior grand finals.
The two squads have had temporary arrangements in place until now.
Musgrave GU Football Club president John Bills said hosting the Roar’s Westfield W-League team was already paying dividends for Gold Coast football.
“We have had our women (club) players and coaches come along and watch the Roar train already,” he said.
“The Roar are planning coaching clinics in the future as well so that will be fabulous for the progression of the women’s hub here at Musgrave.”
Ties between Brisbane Roar and Griffith University also extend beyond the sporting fields.
The Roar’s Westfield Matildas Tameka Butt and Clare Polkinghorne study at Griffith while the club’s Young Socceroo and Hyundai A-League striker Brandon Borrello is a Griffith Business student.
Almost 40% of workers in the construction industry are drinking large quantities of energy drinks, a new study shows.
Researchers from Griffith Business School also found that tradies and labourers with unhealthy on-site diets have very limited opportunity to change their eating habits for the better.
Extreme early morning starts, an intensely pressurised working environment and poor food choices are at the heart of the problem, the research findings reveal.
Workers were also generally unaware of the associated risk factors for chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease.
“The time pressures of the job mean that whatever is put in front of construction workers is what they’re going to eat,” Dr Rebecca Loudoun said. “They’re very active physically but the food they eat is nutritionally vacant or full of sugar.”
Dr Loudoun (pictured, left) led the research which was funded by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, under the Queensland Government Healthier. The study took place across six construction sites in Brisbane from February 2014 to May 2015 where the team interviewed and surveyed the attitudes and eating behaviour of site managers and construction workers.
“Many are skipping breakfast and replacing it with an energy drink,” she said. “This is often because of the very early start. Some workers were commuting from Caloundra to the north and Lennox Heads down south. They’re getting up for work at a time when their bodies do not want to eat breakfast.
“Energy drinks are marketed specifically to this group which is largely made up of young people who are time poor, cashed up and working physical jobs. They feel it’s what they need to get through the day.”
This raised concerns among site managers when researchers discussed the potential impact of high energy drinks on workers using heavy tools on a busy building site.
A key finding for Dr Loudoun is the need to stock on-site vending machines with healthy, nutritious alternatives to the standard vending machine fare.
“Healthy food needs to be put in front of them,” she said. “They loved the healthy food we gave them. They are not opposed to eating healthy food. They’re not opposed to changes on site. They just want a quick, satisfying meal and if that’s a healthy meal then great.
“However, the odds are against any workers who want to change their eating habits. This is a hard, transient industry, where directives are frantically coming from all directions.
“Managers need to be aware of the impact of their on-site decisions and strategies and learn to factor a healthy food environment into the architecture of the building site.
“There needs to be a much greater emphasis on nutrition, the importance of nutrition, and how a lack of nutrition affects those on site and what they do.
“The majority of workers we interviewed thought they were eating healthily, and were surprised to learn they were at risk.”
“It is a life-changing program, not just for the individual students but for their families and for generations to come,” Kerrie Hopewell said.
At the same time the program develops a stronger understanding of the tertiary environment among students.
