JCU Respect Student Facilitators

Agnieszka Dziakowska is a PhD Candidate in literature at JCU CASE Townsville. Her thesis “Gendered Violence in The Tropical Pacific: The Use of Storytelling to Address Global Social Inequality” focuses on the voice agency and narratives of women in Oceania and the affordances and limits of literature.

"My name is Curtis Rayment - I am a 5^th year JCU medical student, born and raised on a cattle station west of Winton, and now a proud local of the North! In 2022 I became a member of JCU’s Respect team having been inspired to get more involved helping address the “rape culture” I and many other young men and women grew/growing up with. By sharing my experiences, from my time on college, in the rugby dressing rooms or out on the cattle station, I hope that it will educate and encourage other young men to challenge their mates’ behaviours and become part of the solution. My belief is that rape and sexual assault is a gendered issue, that it is an issue that predominately girls and women have been dealing with and will continue to do so until we men are able to change our behaviours and make it our issue to address. I look forward to meeting you, hearing your opinions and having a conversation about something I am extremely passionate about."

"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."

"Hi! My name is Lachlan, a 3^rd year marine biology student hailing from the great state of Victoria. I believe it’s incredibly important to be socially active and aware, and that’s why I’m really excited to be a part of this group."

"My name is Michelle and I am currently a 4th year medical student at JCU. Education about sexual assault, rape culture and consent is something that I am deeply passionate about and it prompted my involvement in JCU Respect. From living on college for 3 years, I have seen how prevalent these issues are and the devastating effect that negative sexual experiences can have. My goal in joining the JCU Respect team, was to help promote the idea that everyone has a role in standing up to sexual harassment and the culture that encourages it."

Sophie is a PhD student in marine biology and environmental science.  She is a member of the College of Science and Engineering's Gender and Equity reference group and is involved in organising equity events for the college's higher degree research students. Sophie considers herself a feminist and wanted to join the JCU student Respect working groups as a way of 'putting her money where her mouth is'.  As a STEM student Sophie is also passionate about ensuring universities remain accessible to everyone.

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."