By Savannah Woodworth
Global Center Workshop Student
SHSU Global Center for Journalism and Democracy collaborated with the Center for International Education at the 2nd Annual Universality of Global Education Issues Conference on March 5-6 at The Woodlands Center Campus.
The conference discussed the educational similarities found throughout the world in varying disciplines. Scholars and students from all fields were invited to attend the conference.
Part of GCJD’s mission is to collaborate with other on-campus organizations and to bring a greater awareness of social issues to the community.
Dr. Jim Hynes, the Director of the Center for International Education discussed the collaboration by saying, “We are very pleased to work with GCJD in our efforts to foster opportunities for our students. The goal of this effort is to help students successfully participate in a society that increasingly requires an understanding of cultures and thought processes different from their own. Through our joint efforts, students and faculty at SHSU will have many opportunities to experience the joy of seeing how, although we may look, speak and even act differently, we generally deal with similar problems in our societies - particularly when it comes to education. The solutions to those problems often can be found by working together.”
For its part, GCJD brought Cristi Hegranes from the Global Press Institute as the keynote speaker for the conference on Thursday, March 5th.
Hegranes is the Founder and Executive Director of Global Press Institute and the Publisher and Executive Editor of Global Press Journal. She founded GPI in 2006 to demonstrate a new path for future international journalists, to correct the gender disparity in media professionals, and to show a more complex view of developing countries in media coverage. Hegranes has received a number of awards for her work with GPI, including the Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize, the Jefferson Award for Public Service along with many others.
In addition to bringing in Hegranes as the keynote speaker, Kelli Arena, the Executive Director of GCJD, and Jesse Starkey, GCJD Program Manager, presented a session at the conference on the importance of journalism as a development and educational tool. They discussed how their work with journalists, both in the US and abroad, serves a greater social interest and continues to create social awareness.
The Global Press Institute is an award-winning organization that teaches and empowers women in developing worlds to produce high-quality news coverage and to generate social and global awareness to help create a positive change. GPI has trained and employed 159 journalists across 26 developing countries, including Guatemala, Cameroon, India, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico and Sri Lanka.
Hegranes also prepared a workshop for SHSU students to discuss her work with GPI, women in journlalism, and the role of journalism in the developing world.
GCJD also currently provides a link to the GPI newsfeed for free on its website as a resource for students and professional journalists to get news from parts of the world that are not often talked about in mainstream media.
Global Center for Journalism and Democracy
Dan Rather Communications Building, Room 201, Huntsville, TX 77340