MonashMinds
17th April 2020
2013 BHP John Monash Scholar Jillian Kilby launches 'Innovating Around The Box' business innovation program at The Exchange in Dubbo
Jillian Kilby is the founder of The Exchange, located in the former historic post office and telephone exchange in Dubbo, which she has transformed into a community hub and coworking space supporting small and medium businesses in the region. The Exchange has launched 'Innovating Around The Box', a 14 week business innovation program developed by The Scale Institute at Charles Sturt University. Participants will be mentored by a pool of 20 local experts including Jillian and will assist businesses in renewing business models and innovation.
Picture: Jillian Kilby at The Exchange
2005 John Monash Scholar Andrew Hudson coordinates campaign to achieve a Global Ceasefire to focus on COVID-19
Andrew Hudson is the Executive Director of Crisis Action, which builds global collective action to protect vulnerable civilians from war. In a bid to overcome COVID-19 around the world, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a global ceasefire to confront this common threat to humanity. Following this call, Crisis Action has coordinated efforts to support the Global Ceasefire, which has drawn support in over 11 warzones, from over 60 countries, over 200 organizations and 2 million individuals. The logic is simple: stop fighting each other to focus on overcoming the virus.
Crisis Action is coordinating the #GlobalCeasefire campaign calling on countries and combatants to support the global ceasefire. The UN Security Council is close to supporting the call for the ceasefire, which would be historic.
2019 Susan and Isaac Wakil John Monash Scholar Jessie Smith empowering HIV+ women in Tanzania
SEW was set up by Jessie Smith in 2008 and is a social enterprise and registered charity partnering with HIV+ women in Tanzania. SEW produces hand-made conference bags from recycled plastic, which were used at the 2019 John Monash Scholars' Global Symposium in December. The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled their business as events have been cancelled all over the world and orders have ground to a halt.
COVID-19 has now reached Tanzania and the public health system will struggle to cope. HIV+ women are some of the most at-risk and it is unlikely governments of the global south will be in position to provide income relief. SEW is creating an emergency fund to assist these women and all money raised will go towards health expenses and wages.
SEW appreciates that it is a difficult time to give and has set up a grassroots fundraising effort focusing on $10 donations. SEW is DGR endorsed and all donations over $2 are tax-deductible for Australian taxpayers.
Picture: John Monash Scholars Damon Binder, Maja Arsic and Mark Brooke at the 2019 John Monash Scholars' Global Symposium in Melbourne holding conference bags produced by SEW.
2005 John Monash Scholar Dr Sarah Milne writes on 'rupture' and valuable lessons from social scientists
Dr Sarah Milne is a Senior Lecturer at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University and in an article written for The Conversation highlights how social scientists have researched and documented periods of uncertainty and upheaval, also known as 'rupture'. What is rupture, and what ways can we adapt and improvise in the face of emergencies?
2010 John Monash Scholar Dr Joe Gattas develops low cost origami face mask, the HappyShield
Dr Joe Gattas leads the Folded Structures Lab at the University of Queensland, creating innovative solutions using a variety of materials and origami-inspired engineering. In conjunction with the University of Cambridge's Centre for Natural Material Innovation, the lab has developed a simple origami face shield made using only a sheet of clear plastic. As current shortages in personal protective equipment impact resource stretched towns, this invention will ensure equipment can be more readily available at a low cost.
2013 Pratt Foundation John Monash Scholar Dr Alexandra Phelan speaks with ABC News on US funding cuts to WHO
Alexandra Phelan continues to be a trusted commentator as a global health policy and law expert. In an interview with ABC News Radio Alexandra provides an insight on what the US funding cuts to WHO mean to the global health community.
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