People

Seeking justice in East Timor

Growing up in fear and witnessing human rights violations in her home country of East Timor prompted Benicia Magno to become involved in peace building.

Benicia, who is pursuing her MA in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights, came to Essex after working as a National Human Rights Officer at the Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste.

Benecia explained: ‘Most of us lost our childhood because of the Indonesian occupation, but today I still hope for justice. The history of Timor-Leste includes very dark events before independence and human rights became one of the tools for campaigning against the Indonesian occupation and for self-determination.’

Before working with the UN, Benicia collaborated with lecturers at Timor-Leste National University on peace-building projects in the conflict areas and camps.

Seeing human rights violations motivated Benicia to seek justice. 'I saw the military kill people in front of my eyes and I saw how they treated Timorese when we were in need of protection. My own mother was detained by them. There has to be justice for those victims. The real perpetrators must be brought before formal justice.

Benicia hopes her course can balance her practical skills by giving her a deeper theoretical perspective on human rights.

 

Dr Aaron makes young people Bullyproof 

The launch of BBC Radio 1’s recent Bullyproof campaign brought together some of the biggest names in social networking, A-list celebrities like Cheryl Cole and Alesha Dixon and none other than a University of Essex lecturer to help young people make themselves bullyproof. 

Dr Aaron Balick lectures in psychoanalysis in the Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies, as well as having his own private psychotherapy practice in London. But he’s also a regular contributor to Radio 1’s long-running and successful Sunday Surgery, where he can be heard offering advice to thousands of young listeners on a wide range of personal problems and issues from relationships, mental and emotional health, to bullying, stress and sexual health.  

Aaron has been writing web content for the BBC for teenagers and for younger audiences for several years and has also appeared on numerous popular TV programmes like Newsround and other CBBC outlets. His became an expert on the well-known Radio 1 Sunday Surgery about two years ago.  

Aaron believes that the worlds of psychotherapy and psychology can sometimes seem very alien to people and to have a language of their own which can put people off from learning about the ‘great insights’ that psychology has to offer. He explained: ‘That’s why it’s always been important for me to do the best I can to bring its ideas to a wider public which is exactly what I do as a media psychotherapist.

’That commitment to communicating ideas more widely comes from Aaron’s deep-seated belief that psychotherapists have a responsibility not just to limit themselves to working with individuals, taking part in conferences, and writing for academic journals. Talking about his Sunday Surgery spot, he said: ‘This is where I try to apply psychological insights to real people’s problems in a way that’s accessible to all. It’s a challenge but it’s hugely rewarding.'

To listen to what Aaron has to say about bullying, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/bullyproof/listen/

 

Essex graduate is face of T-Mobile

A former student from the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies is fronting a T-Mobile advertising campaign.

Josh Ward, who graduated in 2006 with a BA in Drama, features in a television advert, and on posters advertising a free text messages for life scheme. He is using his free text messages to form a super band.

One of his tutors in the Department, Roger Moss, said: ‘Josh was one of the many creative students we’re lucky enough to have, probably best remembered for his final-year project in which his student house in Wivenhoe was turned into the venue for a room-by-room performance of several of Samuel Beckett’s short plays. He’s now doing an MA in Theatre at Royal Holloway College.’

 

Also in the printed December edition of Wyvern:

• Walk on the wild side
• Keen audience hears Lord Gifford speak