The Xavier University Festival of Ideas is brewed to establish a new intellectual university tradition aimed at forging public dialogue, discourse and discussion of ideas, policies, and works while creatively interconnecting the discussant’s expertise with either one of the XU Research and Social Outreach (RSO) current thematic areas: environment, peace, health, food security, or governance.
Festival of Ideas Poster
One of the country’s leading universities, Xavier University is at the forefront of shaping and influencing the course of Mindanao’s development through greater societal engagement. To this end the festival offers a platform for public intellectuals, researchers, wordsmiths, performers, policy and decision-makers, and their ilk to spread their ideas and share their works in short but engaging public fora.
The country’s first ever university-based event of its kind, the festival is timed for the annual celebration of the RSO Month in February.
Festival of Ideas
For this pioneering launch, an eclectic mix of topics in an out-of-the-box approach is whipped up: the audience, for instance, can expect a stand-up comedy that tackles the serious issue of drug addiction guaranteed to put the crowd in stitches, a cooking show by agro-enterprise advocates exposing the challenges and sad plight of Mindanao farmers, a feet-stomping musical extravaganza on the politics of music by a professional DJ who will trace the evolution and influence of “rock-and-roll to rave”, a sharing of leadership journey by a bold young agent of change who continues to reform a government institution in the ARMM region, a mapping of the global and local issues of food security from the perspective of a Dutch geography teacher, a resketching of the fast changing climate landscape of Mindanao by a Presidential Cabinet Secretary, and many more.
The festival will run for three successive Saturdays — February 7, 14 and 21, 2015. The morning only forum (from 8 am to 12nn) will feature two to three speakers in a back-to-back sharing of their topics. The venue is the Nursing Amphitheater, top floor of the CIT Building at Xavier University.
Schedule of Events
February 7, 2015
8.00 to 8. 30 am Registration and Preliminaries
|
Time |
Topic |
Speaker |
| 8.45 to 9.30 am | Who’s been carting off our food basket? And other issues.
The Geography of Food Security |
Henri Ankone, M.Ed Geography, M.Ed Civics, Katholieke Leergangen Polytechnic University (The Netherlands) |
| 9.45 to 10.30 am | So you think you can dance?
The Politics of Music from Beatles to Rave |
Raymond Dizon, a.k.a. The Rainman, Associate Professor in Nursing, Capitol University |
| 10.45 to 12 nn | Sigurado ka bang hindi adik ang kasama mo? Check mo mata niya. The Dangers of Illegal Drug Use |
Santaner Iray Corporate Trainer, Drug Check Philippnes, Inc. |
February 14, 2015
8.00 to 8. 30 am Registration and Preliminaries
|
Time |
Topic |
Speaker |
| 8.45 to 9.30 am | The Personal Leadership Journey of an Agent of Change: The Challenges of Reforming a Government Institution |
Noor Saada, PhD Assistant Secretary DECS-ARMM |
| 9.45 to 10.30 am | Ang Pinakbet ni Joan ug ni Quette: Retelling the Plight of Mindanao’s Small Farmers |
Queritess Queja Marketing Officer NorMin Veggies Marketing Cooperative Joan Cua-Uy Consultant for Agroenterprise Development Catholic Relief Services |
| 10.45 to 12 nn | The Changing Climate Landscape of Mindanao: The Politics of Food Security |
Nereus Acosta, PhD Presidential Cabinet Member Secretary for Environmental Protection |
Keep posted for the schedule of talks for February 21.
The event is open to the public for free.
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