Self harm among young Australians is on the increase, and more needs to be done to understand and address the problem.
This is the call from Garry King, a researcher from Griffith’s Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention.
He says that although the statistics on self harm (also known as non-suicidal self injury) provide differing figures, there is a strong perception of a significant increase over the past two decades, with most of the research indicating a figure of 10%-20% of young people self-injuring at some stage.
Speaking at Griffith University’s Mount Gravatt campus last week, Mr King referred to current prevalence rates of 17% among females aged 15-18 and 12% among males of the same age.
“One of the difficulties of obtaining figures for this issue is that young people can often be quite secretive about what they’re doing, with up to a third potentially not telling anybody,” says Mr King. “Figures for
Category: Griffith University Feed
Is it time to tidy up your social media?
By Dr Kylie Burns, Griffith Law School
All over Australia law students are returning to class. For some, it is their first time at law school.
But if a potential employer searched their name or image on the internet today what would they see? Have they got privacy settings on their social media accounts? Have they ever posted comments or photos on social media they would not feel comfortable having a potential employer, a law firm or a Judge see? Do they realise their ‘private’ social media profile is also their ‘professional’ social media profile?
Employers will track down your social media history
The vast majority of law students and many legal professionals are now extensive users of social media. Many students (and lawyers) believe that their social media activity is ‘personal’ and ‘private’ and does not concern or reflect on them as legal professionals. However, this is a very misguided belief.
Employers now frequently
Queen’s Baton Relay has Griffith flavour
Griffith University graduate Elise Appleton has her design work on display across the world, after the Queen launched the 2018 Commonwealth Games Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace this week.
Elise’s colourful design was chosen for the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) emblem.
Elise, who works in Griffith’s Office of Marketing and Communications, created the emblem to celebrate the Baton’s journey across the Commonwealth.
“I drew inspiration from flight paths, and used these to represent the connection and unity of people and places from around the world,” she said.
Griffith Graphic Design graduate Elise Appleton shows off her Commonwealth Games 2018 design
The team, headed by Griffith Studio and Design Manager Romina Vella included Griffith graduate Francis Keil and Queensland College of Art design students Felicity Walsh and Shaun Wilson. They presented four concepts for the QBR emblem to GOLDOC.
The record-breaking relay will span 388 days and travels 230,000 kilometres across all Commonwealth nations and territories.
Like the
Griffith film graduate wins Hollywood internship
Griffith Film School graduate Lauren Brown has been awarded the coveted Village Roadshow Animal Logic Internship in Los Angeles.
Just months after completing her Master of Screen Production at GFS, she is at the heart of the world’s film industry.
The young film producer will spend the next three months at the Village Roadshow offices in LA gaining first-hand experience in developing, acquiring and producing feature films for the international market.
The Brisbane-based film producer said it was a dream come true.
“I was actually at the hairdresser when I got the call, and I had to stop myself from jumping for joy,” she said.
“For an emerging producer like myself, it is an incredible opportunity to be in Los Angeles working with an amazing company and getting some great support while I’m here.”
The highly sought-after internship is run by Australians in Film (AiF), and is open to recent Australian film graduates who demonstrate significant
Griffith Health First Peoples Health Plan launched
Closing the gap in health outcomes between Australia’s First Peoples and other Australians is the aim of the Griffith Health First Peoples Health Plan 2016-2022.
Launched by the University in the same week as the Nation celebrates Close The Gap Day (Thursday 17 March), the plan aims to increase First Peoples Health graduate numbers ensuring its wider graduates have the necessary education and training.
“The vision is for Griffith Health to be influential leaders valuing collective knowledge towards better health outcomes for Australia’s First Peoples,” Professor Roianne West from Griffith’s First Peoples Health Unit , said.
“Major strategies include positioning Griffith Health as a faculty of choice for undergraduate and postgraduate future First Peoples students and an employer of choice for First Peoples health staff.
“Aligning with Griffith University’s broader strategic plan, its focus is to set an agenda for practical change and places First Peoples cultures at the centre.
I also believe we are the first university in the country
Penalty Rate Cuts: who is affected? And who could be next?
It has been less than a month since the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) decision to cut Sunday and public holiday penalty rates for hospitality, retail, and fast food employees, and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) along with the federal Labor party are still fighting against the ruling.
In a case that dragged on for more than a year, the FWC took in nearly 6-thousand submissions and evidence from various expert witnesses. The reasoning for decision is that it will allow businesses in those industries to increase employment overall on Sundays and public holidays, a conclusion that Professor David Peetz of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing does not share.
“It’s a myth. There isn’t really a strong case being put there by the Commission”
Professor Peetz said that often studies like theses are measured in hours worked, but that is not the same thing as an increase in the number
Intern experience pays dividends for Madeline
Proving the adage that practice makes perfect, Griffith Law School graduate Madeline Lacy has obtained a position with law firm MinterEllison after interning with its Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) legal team.
Madeline is one of nine Griffith Law School interns at MinterEllison, three of whom have since gained full-time employment with the firm.
Throughout her internship, Madeline worked on a variety of legal tasks including Intellectual Property tasks and Agreements which collectively are necessary for the coming together of the Commonwealth Games.
“I have a background in athletics, touch football and netball and love anything to do with sport, so the Commonwealth Games internship was a once in a lifetime opportunity,’’ she said.
She said obtaining full-time employment with the firm was the starting point to her new career.
“It’s going to be all hands on deck for the Games and I’ll be using everything I’ve learnt at Griffith throughout my degree
Griffith Health Strengthens Ties In Public Health With China
On 15 and 16 February 2017, Griffith University welcomed an official visit from The Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China, with the intention to reflect on their long standing relationship and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU will further build public health capacity building and research collaborations as well as expand into other areas such as hospital services, allied health and nursing.
The high-level delegation, headed by Director-General, Mr Duan Yufei, met with a number of academics from Griffith University’s Health Group over the two-day visit, as well as toured Griffith’s state of the art facilities.
In conjunction with the visit, a new Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Professor Ian O’Connor, Vice Chancellor and President, and Mr Duan Yufei, Director-General, also in the presence of Ms Zhou Li, Deputy Consul-General, Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Brisbane. Professor O’Connor was delighted
Waste Not Want Not helps reduce food waste
Australians discard $5.2 billion worth of food annually and that figure is increasing.
To help reduce food waste, Griffith University researchers are showing people how to use their leftovers to create delicious, healthy meals.
Waste Not, Want Not is a two-week Social Marketing @ Griffith pilot program starting on March 20. It is led by Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele from Griffith Business School and has been developed in partnership with Redland City Council.
“One way to reduce waste is to start with food in the home,’’ Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele says.
“The overall aim of Waste Not, Want Not is to raise awareness of food waste in Redland City and to help residents save time and money by reducing their waste.
“The program focuses on helping people to cook meals using the ingredients they already have in their fridges, which will in turn help minimise wasted food.”
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the unique campaign was part
Scientists mobilise as bleaching resumes on Great Barrier Reef
Griffith University researchers will further their fight to protect the Great Barrier Reef after new research revealed its resilience is rapidly waning.
The collaborative study between institutions across the world, published in the prestigious journal Nature today, examined whether past exposure to bleaching in 1998 and 2002 made reefs any more tolerant in 2016. Sadly researchers found no evidence that past bleaching makes the corals any tougher.
Associate Professor Guillermo Diaz-Pulido and Dr Emma Kennedy, of Griffith’s School of Environment and the Australian Rivers Institute, contributed key coral bleaching data from the southern Great Barrier Reef to the paper, amid current concerns about coral bleaching occurring for a second year in a row.
“Our group looks at what happens after the coral dies from beaching and when it gets invaded by seaweed. That’s important because seaweeds could inhibit the recovery of the coral, ultimately affecting the resilience of the reef, and its precious