Sporting Stars and Musicians Line Up for the Inaugural Diversity Fest at the University of NSW

A line up of Australian sporting stars including Dylan Alcott, Ellia Green and Sharni Layton will headline UNSW’s inaugural Diversity Fest.

Diversity Fest will take place across the UNSW campus from 23 – 27 September and boasts a line-up of over 20 events across the week. The aim of the event is to bring the community together to embrace diversity and ignite bold conversations for a more inclusive society.

While a gender diverse line up of up-and-coming musicians will take the stage in Step Aside – a night of music, energy and colour at UNSW’s sustainability award-winning Roundhouse venue.

UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Professor Eileen Baldry believes the event will highlight and advance the important work the university is doing in this sphere.

“Research here and internationally shows that inclusivity enriches our learning, teaching and working experiences,” she said.

“We are proud to celebrate diversity in our community and society. This Diversity Fest will help build a flourishing inclusive culture.”

The Game Changers sporting panel will be the centrepiece of the event program and will feature Australian Paralympian and current Wimbledon champion Dylan Alcott, Rugby 7s Olympic gold medallist Ellia Green, former Australian Netball Diamond and current Collingwood AFLW player Sharni Layton and the NRL’s Diversity and Inclusion Manager Casey Conway.

ABC Breakfast’s Paul Kennedy will host the panel discussion, which will boldly address issues concerning gender, sexuality, disability and race in sport, which the panellists are uniquely qualified to discuss.

Step Aside will be a night to celebrate what diversity can bring to the music industry, with local acts including Laura Jean, Sports Bra, Rainbow Chan, Egoism and DJ Gen Collier set to put on a glass ceiling smashing show at the Roundhouse.

The stage and event production will be orchestrated by a formidable team of women, in a conscious rebuttal against the male-dominated music industry.

Diversity Fest Event Manager Fergus Grealy believes this important event will be a highlight of the week.

“We want to give gender-diverse artists the platform to perform,” he said.

“Great music steps beyond gender and comes from the heart. It has the power to bring us together despite our differences.”

Diversity Fest will also unveil the first seven UNSW Faces of Diversity. These students and staff have been selected to visually represent just some of our diverse community.

By sharing personal stories, the struggles and the triumphs, the campaign aims to break down stereotypes and celebrate difference.

All events across the week are free and open to the public. The full event program will be launched this month and further information can be found on the Diversity Fest website.

Last Updated on Aug 6, 2019