VC bulletin 7 March 2016

Plastic waste research project
17 April

School of Architecture Lecturer and Director of the Cluster for Sustainable Cities, Professor Steffen Lehmann has teamed up with Professor Steven De Meester from the University of Ghent, in Belgium, to tackle research on plastic waste.

Their project, entitled PlastiCity, has been selected for Stage 2 for Funding Call 5 by Interreg-2-Seas.

The overall objective of PlastiCity is to develop a plastic recycling hub and method for affordable collection, sorting and treatment of plastic waste in the coastal areas of the UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, where the material resources are recovered, recycled and the green economy is promoted.

Read more about the project here.

Workshop will explore aid sector scandal

A series of discussions and talks at the University of Portsmouth will focus on the issue of sexual exploitation in the humanitarian aid sector.

The workshop, Civil Society under Attack, will also look at the broader questions of NGO accountability and how NGOs can rebuild public trust.

Key speakers at Thursday’s event include Shaista Aziz, the co-founder of campaigning platform Intersectional Feminist Foreign Policy. She has been a broadcast journalist and formerly worked as a media specialist for Oxfam, Amnesty International, Save the Children and Islamic Relief.

Sarah Blakemore, director of charity Keeping Children Safe, will also speak. The organisation publishes international safeguarding standards for humanitarian relief and development charities.

The event runs from 1pm until 6pm on Thursday, 19 April in the University’s Park Building. Register and find further information here.

University supporting Aspex Gallery to secure £50,000 of National
Lottery funding
12 April

The University’s Eldon and Portland Buildings will be lighting up yellow in support of ‘Welcome’ – an arts project from the Aspex Gallery, which is bidding to win £50,000 of lottery funding.

The Welcome project aims to support Portsmouth’s refugee and asylum seeker community through art, developing new skills, English language capability, as well as confidence and self-esteem, whilst becoming part of the wider local community.

The Gallery needs your support to make the project a reality. Find out more here.

More news in brief here