Past Events
WORKSHOP: Mental Health in Journalism, A Webinar With Saranaz Barforoush (September 10, 2022)
September 10, 2022 – 2:00-3pm PDT – Zoom
On September 10th, Spheres Of Influence is hosting an online workshop on mental health in journalism. The workshop will feature Dr. Saranaz Barforoush, a journalist and an assistant professor of teaching at UBC School of Journalism, and will discuss the effect of journalism on the mental health of reporters and the important strategies journalists should use.
WORKSHOP: Journalism Under Neoliberalism, A Conversation With Luke Savage (April 23, 2022)
April 23, 2022 – 2:00-3pm PDT – Zoom
Join us for a workshop and discussion with Canadian journalist Luke Savage on his upcoming book “The Dead Center: Reflections of Liberalism and Democracy after the End of History”. This workshop looks to explore the impact of neoliberalism on discourse and reporting in today’s political landscape, and how young journalists can navigate around it and push media into different more progressive directions.
WORKSHOP: Privilege, Ethics, and Sensitivity in Global Reporting (Feb 26, 2022)
Feb 26, 2022 – 2:00-3:30pm PST – Zoom
Workshop led by international journalists Yumna Patel and Alex Boyd on navigating “Privilege, Ethics, and Sensitivity in Global Reporting.” The panel will discuss the issues journalists face in the newsroom when reporting on politicized contexts of oppression and the individual reflexivity that goes into writing before opening up the floor to the audience for a Q&A. This event seeks to equip writers and journalists with an understanding of reporting.
VIRTUAL ART GALLERY & PANEL EVENT – Indigenous Art and Resistance in the Climate Crisis (Jan 27, 2022)
Jan 27, 2022 – 5:00-6:30pm PST – Zoom
Hosting a virtual art gallery and panel discussion. In this event, we will be featuring the works of some incredible Indigenous artists from across the globe: Mariyeh Mushtaq, Lee Gavin, Elizabeth Swanson Andi, and Jearica Fountain, whose biographies we have included below. Through illustrations, photography, and comics, the artists convey powerful statements about climate change, resistance, and sovereignty. The event will conclude with a discussion session and Q&A.
VIRTUAL PANEL EVENT – Media Representations of Palestine (Aug 5, 2021)
August 5, 2021 – 5:00-6:00pm PDT – Zoom
Spheres of Influence is partnering with the UBC Middle East Studies Students Association and UBC Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights to host the event Media Representations of Palestine. The event will take place on August 5th, 2021 from 5-6 pm PDT on Zoom. We are looking forward to welcoming a panel of prominent Palestinian journalists, academics, and activists, who will share their rich insights, experiences, and perspectives. The event will begin with an overview, followed by a panel discussion on important issues of misinformation, bias, and underrepresentation.
WEBINAR EVENT – Censorship and Silence: A Conversation on the Uyghurs (Mar 24, 2021)
March 24, 2021 – 5:00-6:00pm PDT – Zoom
Spheres of Influence and the UBC International Relations Student Association (IRSA) presented a webinar to bring attention to the ongoing detention, abuse, and genocide of the Uyghur people and other minorities living in northwestern China. The panel featured three prominent Uyghur activists: Shalina Nurly, a Vancouver-based student and youth leader of the Vancouver Uyghur Association, Kabir Qurban, also based in Vancouver whose love of teaching drew him to activism, and Akida Pulati, daughter of imprisoned Uyghur scholar, Rahile Dawut.
