Safety and Wellbeing JCU Respect Now Always, Commitment and Reviews Student Facilitator Alumni

Student Facilitator Alumni

portrait of Monique Chantrill

Monique Chantrill

Bachelor of Social Work

I think it is really important that more people facilitate conversations about this topic so that students can have opportunities to establish boundaries, understand others and share experiences. Hopefully, this can reduce feelings of stigma, shame and isolation surrounding experiences of sexual assault.

Grace Matheson

Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery

The JCU Respect training is an extremely important program that will promote behavioural and attitude changes here at JCU through student education. I became a JCU Respect student facilitator when I was a Senior Residential Assistant at the John Flynn College because I am an advocate for gender equity and want to see an end to sexual harassment on campus. As a senior leader at my college I felt that I had a voice to promote change within our community, and hope I have inspired other students to do the same. In 2020, I hope to bring this voice for change to the JCU Cairns community as I move up to continue my studies.

Jodie Mottram

(Proud Indigenous Woman) Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) / Bachelor of Arts: Criminology & Indigenous Studies

Social connectedness is a key contributor to overall quality of life and has implications for academic success. Positive social connectedness can facilitate study-groups, decrease stress and anxiety, and gives you a sense of feeling supported, and of course, respected, by your peers. Conversely, the opposite of this can result in feelings of un-ease and social isolation. Being a Psychology student, I am especially proud to be a part of promoting a respectful culture that, once rolled-out to all students, will help facilitate positive and respectful interactions where students/peers feel safe and supported, both personally and academically - through a mutually beneficial and reciprocally respectful relational platform.

Jessica Pollard

Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Laws

The JCU Respect work has been personally enlightening. It forced me beyond my comfort zone to discuss real issues that impact us all. There cannot be a solution to sexual harassment and sexual assault without open and educational discussion. It’s an absolute honour to be part of.

Lushimi Udayakumaran

MBBS Student and Residential Assistant at University Hall

Being a student mentor for the JCU Respect Program has enabled me to help formulate the change that I always wanted to see in university culture. I felt rewarded by helping to create a safe, honest, transparent environment on campus that allowed students the opportunity to discuss stigmatised topics, further encouraged them to challenge their own thoughts and enabled them to listen to differing opinions from their peers. As a senior member of my respective college, I have always felt that awareness of an issue is the first step in eliminating it. Awareness of gender inequality and sexual misconduct is a step in the right direction for both a safer university campus and a safer society. I am beyond grateful to have been a part of this initial change and a part of the JCU Respect Program.