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LIRA has at its heart, a desire to make the international relations degree at Latrobe more interactive, and a recognition that there are many ways to engage in the world of international relations outside of the structure of lectures and tutorials.
LIRA aims to provide ways that IR students can enhance their knowledge, understanding and effectiveness through both social and further academic forums. LIRA also acts as a bridge between students and faculty, as well as promoting the study of international relations to potential students.
LIRA is an apolitical organisation, committed to providing balanced and unbiased information and opinions through the events we run and become involved in.
 La Trobe students debating the Death Penalty This Tuesday LIRA will be hosting the inaugural ‘La Trobe University Model United Nations; ‘LaTrobeMUN 2010!’ Model United Nations Conferences are rapidly spreading across Australia and the world, and following La Trobe’s outstanding successes at AMUNC 2009 and WorldMUN 2010, the natural next step is to bring the United Nations to La Trobe!
The LIRA team are busy preparing diplomatic briefs, making country placards and setting the table of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for the much anticipated and highly charged global debate; on the legality and morality of the death penalty.
LaTrobeMUN is a fantastic opportunity for 1st year students and 1st time MUN participants to practice their skills at basic research, debate, mounting arguments, and taking part in moderated conferences. There are many Model United Naiton Conference held all around the world, and LatrobeMUN is an essential learning experience and networking opportunity for all IR students, for future MUN’s, as well as future careers part of any IR student’s future. For those taking part in AMUNC 2010 from the 10th-16th of July, LaTrobeMUN is a must-do, to shake those nerves and learn the basic procedure of a ModelUN before representing yourselves, LIRA and La Trobe in Sydney!
The event will be hosted in a well suited function room in the John Scott meeting room, with snacks, drinks throughout the day, and an early dinner provided for those that attend! We hope to see all interested LIRA members and all AMUNC 2010
 The stage is set... attendees at this special event, as we continue to develop La Trobe’s prominent IR reputation, as well as our own!
When: 12:00pm – 3:30pm, Tuesday 6th July 2010
Where: John Scott Meeting House, La Trobe University Bundoora Campus (Carpark 7)
Cost: FREE
Provided: Snacks, refreshments, then Dinner and Drinks from 3:30pm onwards at Eagle Bar
Bring: Light Lunch, Pen & paper / Laptop
RSVP to: admin@lira.org.au by Friday 2nd of July
 Well that time of year has come around again, and keeping in the spirit of Australian political leadership change, LIRA is getting ready for the 2010 LIRA executive elections, to be held in week 4 of Semester 2. All positions are open to all LIRA members, so give some thought over the coming weeks as to whether you want to gain valuable experience as part of the LIRA team. Taking up a positions with LIRA offers valuable experience working with your like-minded collegues, while giving you that boost to your CV, networks and friendships that is always so important in developign your opportunities in your field of International Relations.
The 2009-2010 executive has done a terrific job so far, organising the Annual Dinner, Trivia Nights, La Trobe’s 40+ person delegation to AMUNC in Sydney this July, gaining funding for all of LIRA’s activities, the 2009 AIIA International Relations Careers Conference, and social introduction events for incoming IR students each semester. While we have all loved working together to improve the academic, social and professional experiences of our members, fresh blood and fresh minds are always needed to ensure LIRA operates effectively. So give the idea some thought, discuss it with your friends, and email any inquieries to president@lira.org.au
 The United Nations Youth Association of Australia (UNYA) has launched the latest edition of their biannual journal Perspective
Perspective is available FREE at www.unya.org.au/perspective.
The new issue is jam-packed with some incredible articles that were handpicked from approximately 80 submissions. The Volume 5 lineup includes:
- 2009 Australian UN Youth Representative, Chris Varney, who has provided the full text of his speech delivered to the 64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
- Harry Midalia, who takes the reader through a deep analysis of conservative attitudes towards Indigenous Reconciliation
- Michael West, who looks beyond the typical geopolitical paradigms of security studies and looks at what technology will do for international relations
- Damian Clarke, who revisits the progress and effectiveness of the Millenium Development Goals
- Janet Edwards, who takes a look at how Western engineered eating disorders are taking over the globe
- and Jordan Robinson, who analyses whether the EU is capable of being more than an economic union and questions whether it is time for a Common Security and Defence Policy.
The Careers office has a number of important upcoming activities that will be very beneficial to you as you enter the workforce. On 18th of May they will be holding a Resume Seminar, giving advice on how to make your resume stand out from the rest. Then on the 24th of May they will be holding an Interview Seminar. This is a great opportunity to get tips on interview techniques. For more information about both of these opportunities visit the La Trobe Careers office website at: www.latrobe.edu.au/careers
 Bob Brown and Brian Walters of the Greens ESP is hosting a talk by Brian Walters SC (Greens Candidate for the Seat of Melbourne) this Thursday at 1pm in the Agora Cinema.
Brian Walters is a Melbourne Barrister who has been involved in a number of human rights and environmental cases and campaigns. A founding member of the Greens Party in Victoria, he is standing as the Greens candidate for the state seat of Melbourne in the upcoming 2010 Victorian state election.
A captivating public speaker, he is coming to La Trobe to talk about the up and coming 2010 election and the future of the political green movement in Australia.
For more information see the poster http://espeace.org/BrianWalters.pdf
 Quarterly Access (QA) is the national quarterly publication of the youth networks of the Australian Institute for International Affairs. Launched by ACCESS, the youth network of AIIA Victoria, QA is an entirely volunteer based publication providing a forum for students and young professionals with an interest in international affairs to contribute to the exchange of ideas.
The deadline for the June 2010 issue is the 30th of May.
This is a great opportunity to get published for the first time. QA is seeking original, engaging and intellectually rigorous articles. They accept for submission: academic essays (2000-4000 words), book reviews (500-1000 words), travel articles (1000-2000 words), feature articles (1000-2000 words), and interviews with notable figures or someone who has achieved something out of the ordinary.
 Download the March edition (PDF) The HTML version of QA can be found at: http://quarterlyaccess.typepad.com
For all Quarterly ACCESS enquiries email: quarterlyaccess@gmail.com
For information and guidelines on submitting an article click here.
 Chris Roche gave an interesting talk on some of the challenges facing NGOs last week. Chris is the Director of Development Effectiveness at Oxfam and also is at the Centre for Human Security at La Trobe.
Chris spoke of the challenges faced by NGOs and some of the emerging trends which contribute to Oxfam’s mission of overcoming inequality including the emergence of the G20. The emergence of this new body offers hope for an increase in global leadership and governance which is more representative of the reality of the world. He wasn’t too confidant of UNSC reform.
He identified three ways people can get their first steps into NGOs including:
- Volunteering: Getting out there with Australian Volunteers International, Australian Youth Ambassadors Development etc and getting into the system from there.
- Research and Post-Graduate Research: Your expertise may be sought out.
- Joining an NGO in another role (Marketing, Fundraising etc) and moving towards policy work.
Competition is intense but he also suggested that you can always start your own NGO. Don’t necessairly be constrained by what is there but invent the future.
Thanks to Chris for coming to speak and we hope to bring you other speakers in the future. A transcript will be available on the website shortly.
International Peace & Security Institute (IPSI) and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies(SAIS) are cooperating on a large-scale symposium this winter that may be of interest to La Trobe University students looking for practical skills and training to complement their classroom learning. We have funding forpartial scholarships for well-qualified students from “developed” countries.
The 2010 Bologna, Italy Symposium on Conflict Prevention, Resolution, and Reconciliation will be held from June 19 – July 17 at the SAIS Bologna Center. In addition to intensive training on international mediation, negotiation, and conflict resolution and transferable SAIS academic credit, students will learn the nuts and bolts of peace and security architecture, early warning systems, peacebuilding through social entrepreneurship, genderand conflict, negotiating with rebel groups, etc. from the field’s leading academics and practitioners, including Gareth Evans. You can visit www.IPSInstitute.org/bologna to learn more.
IPSI is accepting applications until May 12.
Bologna Symposium Flyer
 This is the 3rd LIRA trivia night and promises to be the best one yet! This is the perfect time to show off your knowledge of obscure 80’s dance acts and geopolitics! Where: Upstairs at Retro Cafe, Brunswick St, Fitzroy ( MAP)
When: 12th of May. Dinner from 6:30. Trivia starts at 7:30
Cost: $5 on the night
There will be prizes including magazine subscriptions, movie tickets, drinks and loads of other good stuff.
There will be drink specials on the night as well including $5 stubbies.
A number of executive members will be leaving LIRA next semester and so it is a perfect opportunity for those who have been thinking about getting involved to volunteer. Although there will be an election for positions we’d like to be able to pass on the knowledge before people leave the country for exchanges. We’re looking for people to fill the following positions at the moment (but anyone can nominate for any position at the upcoming election).
- IT Officer – Responsible for making sure all the online services and e-mail run smoothly (2-3 hours a week)
- Publicity Officer – Responsible for creating our posters and organising the publicity for events on- and offline.
- Finance – Managing LIRA finances
These are just the immediate roles we need to fill but you are welcome to nominate for any executive position. E-mail Raphael for more information.
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