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Brennan Justice & Leadership Program Handbook 2019 A collaborative initiative of UTS Law

and the UTS Law Students’ Society

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30 January 2019

Contents 1. Program objectives and structure 1

a. What is the Brennan Program? 1 b. Components of the Program 1

2. The Brennan Justice and Leadership Award 2

a. About the Award 2 b. Completion of the Award 2

3. Brennan Program registration and communication 3

a. Registering with the Brennan Program 3 b. Brennan Program Forum on UTSOnline 3 c. Communication channels for Brennan Program 4 d. Contacting the Brennan Program 4

4. Reflections on Justice (ROJ) 5

a. Description and purpose 5 b. The range of activities and Award requirements 5 c. Capping ROJ points 6 d. How to log ROJ points 8

5. Leadership through Service (LTS) 9

a. General requirements and rationale 9 b. What qualifies as LTS? 9 c. Tiering and capping LTS hours 10 d. Choosing a service activity and pre-approval 10 e. How to log LTS hours 10

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1. Program Objectives and Structure

a. What is the Brennan Program?

The Brennan Program is a free, voluntary program for UTS Law students that seeks to strengthen the justice consciousness, idealism and sense of service that participants bring to their studies and later professional work.

Program Objectives

Aims to develop each student’s capacity for personal and professional leadership.

Offers an outlet for students to find a sense of wellbeing, fulfilment and satisfaction in their studies and later professional work.

Strengthens social justice awareness.

The Brennan Justice and Leadership Program was introduced in 2011 as a joint initiative of the UTS Faculty of Law and the UTS Law Students’ Society. It is named for Sir Gerard Brennan AC KBE, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and UTS Chancellor (1999-2005). His life and career exemplify the qualities of professional leadership, service and excellence that the Program seeks to nurture.

With nearly 600 students in its inaugural year of 2011, and over 1,600 students currently registered, the Program is indicative of UTS Law students’ interest in social justice and their desire to go beyond the academic curriculum.

b. Components of the Program

The Program has two separate components of reflection and service.

Reflections on Justice (ROJ)

Throughout each academic year we offer diverse reflection opportunities where students can engage with the themes of justice and its social contexts. These opportunities include: film screenings, panel discussions, the annual Brennan Justice Short Film and Photography Competitions, Discussion Groups, and the Brennan book program. We also encourage students to attend external events of interest that will also count towards the Program. Please refer to the Reflections on Justice section of this handbook for more information.

Leadership through Service (LTS)

The Leadership through Service Component of the Program calls for students to contribute voluntary service (both legal and non-legal in nature) over the course of their studies. Please refer to the Leadership through Service section of this handbook for more information.

We recognise that much will depend upon your other commitments, and that these will vary from session to session. Feel free to continually vary your level of activity and engagement with the Program, and participate when you are able to.

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2. The Brennan Justice and Leadership Award

a. About the Award

The Brennan Justice and Leadership Award is presented to students who complete the Brennan Program. In order to take out the Award you must earn 100 Reflections on Justice points, and the required Leadership through Service hours according to the pro-rata allocation outlined in section 5A.

Upon graduation, the Brennan Justice and Leadership Award will appear on your official transcript and Australian Higher Education Graduation (AHEG) Statement. You will also be featured in the

annual Brennan Yearbook, acknowledged at the annual Brennan Celebration Evening, and receive a letter from the Faculty Dean in recognition of your achievement. The program is highly regarded by the legal profession and other employers. Although all students are encouraged to participate in the Program, only those who satisfy the requirements of the Program will receive the Award.

b. Completion of the Award

Each year, there is a call out and a deadline to complete the Brennan Program for the year. This is usually at the end of August for an October ceremony and is subject to change depending on the Program’s calendar. The completion of the Program does not align with any wider UTS graduation deadlines or ceremonies. You will be able to track your progress on CareerHub and see how far along you are in the Program, however, if you are unsure of what hours or points you have accrued, you can contact the Program Administrator for guidance and advice. If you are nearing completion and we haven’t been in touch yet, please get in touch!

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3. Brennan Program registration and communication

a. Registering with the Brennan Program

To officially start participating in the Brennan Program, you need to register via UTS CareerHub at https://careerhub.uts.edu.au/. Click on “Dashboard; as a current Law student, you should be able to see the ‘Brennan Justice and Leadership Program’ on the left hand side of your screen. Fill out the registration form and you will gain access to the Program.

Registration continues while you are enrolled in a UTS law degree, and ends upon your graduation. You will be able to track your progress on CareerHub and see how far along you are in the Program.

b. Brennan Program Forum on UTSOnline

Once registered on CareerHub, you will be granted access to the Brennan Program Forum on UTSOnline. This forum contains resources for Brennan participants including:

announcements regarding upcoming social justice lectures and seminars

program guides and contacts

useful reading material

If you haven’t got access to this, please get in touch!

Register to participate in the Program by clicking on the “Submit Brennan Program Registration” link via CareerHub.

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c. Communication channels for Brennan Program

UTSOnline: Announcements are posted regularly on the Brennan Program Forum on UTSOnline to

inform you of new lectures and other activities and opportunities available under the Program.

Newsletters: Regular emails are sent to all students registered with the Program, containing a digest

of recent announcements, articles and voluntary opportunities. Please ensure you have added brennanprogram@uts.edu.au to your Outlook contact list to avoid these emails going to your Junk Inbox.

Web: There are two primary web pages for the Brennan Program where you can find out all you

need to know about getting started in the Program, relevant contact details, program FAQS. These

web pages are located at the UTS Faculty of Law and UTS Law Students’ Society (LSS) websites:

Faculty: www.uts.edu.au/brennanprogram

LSS: www.utslss.com/social-justice/brennan-program

Social Media:

UTS Law Brennan Program (@UTSBrennanProgram)

Brennan Program FAQs are published separately - see the Program home page. They address many questions and are a great point of reference!

d. Contacting the Brennan Program

Enquiries about the Program should be directed to the Program Administrator:

Crystal McLoughlin, Student Programs Coordinator, UTS Law brennanprogram@uts.edu.au Brennan Joint Directors:

Professor Paul Redmond Sofia Sudar Sir Gerard Brennan Professor Brennan Program Director UTS Faculty of Law UTS Law Students’ Society paul.redmond@uts.edu.au brennan.program@utslss.com

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4. Reflections on Justice (ROJ)

a. Description and purpose of the reflections component

Reflections on Justice (ROJ) is designed to stimulate an intellectual engagement with the idea of justice, which will continue throughout the course of your study and into your professional life. The idea is that you will reflect upon what you learn at these events and activities, in order to broaden your legal educational experience and increase awareness of issues of social justice, both in our community and in a global sense. In addition to this, the ROJ component aims to generate a group conversation about justice among students.

You may attend both internal UTS and external lectures on justice, join Discussion Groups to reflect on the idea of justice in general intellectual and specific social contexts, participate in the Brennan Book Program, or choose to express issues of justice creatively by entering the annual Brennan Justice Photography Competition, submitting a substantial reflective piece, a poem, a podcast or a short film to name a few.

All activities are assigned points. For example, most lectures are worth 5 ROJ points (unless otherwise stated) and participation in five (5) Discussion Group meetings is worth 20 points. Students must earn a total of 100 ROJ points to be eligible for the Brennan Justice and Leadership Award.

There will be several Program events run on campus each session. However, students can also count their attendance at external events, provided they check with the Program administrator by email.

b. The range of activities and Award requirements

A series of lectures, seminars and film screenings are held regularly throughout the year. These activities are advertised on the Program website, the UTS Online Forum, Brennan emails, Facebook, and CareerHub.

Brennan Program Events (5 points each)

You must RSVP for any Brennan Program events in the CareerHub “Brennan Program Events” section. Click on the “Book into ‘Brennan Events’ link and you will be taken to a screen where you can see the current events available.

Attendance at each event accrues a standard 5 points under the Program, however, you must make sure that your name is marked off at the event in order to claim the points. Occasionally students can accrue bonus points by writing a reflective piece for the annual Yearbook, if you feel compelled to do this, get in touch ahead of the event!

External events credited towards the Program (5 points each, unless otherwise agreed)

Attending external lectures, seminars and conferences that have a justice dimension will generally

earn participants 5 ROJ points each. These external events are either advertised by the Program, or can be approved for points on an ad hoc basis by the Program Administrator (5 points each unless otherwise approved). You are also encouraged to identify, share and attend external lectures, seminars and conferences by emailing brennanprogram@uts.edu.au. We will notify students of the event details and advise if it attracts points under the Program.

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External events will require you to upload proof of attendance at the event (e.g. ticket, registration confirmation) or compose a (350 word) reflective note in the “External Event Claim Form” section in CareerHub. Claims submitted ahead of the event will not be approved. It is very important that students claim for events they have actually attended. The Brennan Administrator reserves the right to ask a Brennan participant to support their claim through a 350 word reflection at any time.

Law and Justice Discussion Groups (20 points)

You are encouraged to join and contribute to a Law and Justice Discussion Group. These groups comprise of 6-8 students and meet five times each session to reflect on ideas of justice that emerge. You can share your experiences and perspectives, assist each other’s reading and exploration, and to extend the conversation in ways that reflect the particular insights and interests of group members. The groups will be self-managed and operate for a single session only (i.e. Autumn/Spring/Summer), although some groups may choose to continue together as a group for another session, by arrangement with the LSS Co-Director. You can participate in more than one Discussion Group over the years, but be sure to email the Brennan Administrator if you are a second time participant. Membership of a Discussion Group accrues 20 ROJ points. You must enter your five reflections of 200 words in the ‘Discussion Group Claim Form’ Section of CareerHub after each catch up. Discussion Group Leaders - Students that are confirmed as Group Leaders are eligible to claim LTS

hours for their time in group coordination. Details are communicated via the LSS Brennan Director.

Reflective blog (10 points)

You can maintain a reflective blog with at least seven different entries, posted across a span of several months to reveal a developing perspective on a particular social justice issues, with each entry being at least 350 words in length (10 points in total). Enter your blog posts in the ‘Reflective Blog’ section in CareerHub, upon submission of the seventh post your blog will automatically be sent to the Program Administrator for approval.

Substantial reflective piece (10 – 20 points)

You can submit a substantial reflective piece through creative writing, an essay, law reform submission, podcast, video, short film or some other form of media not created or used for student assessment or any other activity. We encourage Brennanites to be as creative as they would like! You should discuss your project in advance with the Program Administrator (10-20 points). You can upload your reflective piece to the ‘Substantial Reflective Piece’ section on CareerHub.

Brennan Book Program (20 points)

Each year, we invite all Brennanites, faculty and staff, to read the same book, giving everyone a chance to come to the Brennan Program with something in common. We hope it becomes a way to open up conversations between all years of the Program, and between students and staff.

For 2019, we’ve chosen a variety of non-fiction and fiction options which you are welcome to choose from or read a few! NOTE: Within one year there is a cap of two book reflections. Non-fiction:

‘This House of Grief’ by Helen Garner: A deeply thoughtful, reflective account of a distressing

murder trial. One reviewer likened it to Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment; the Chief Justice of Victoria called it “utterly riveting”. Garner has written that she “thought of the law as a vast poem about the terribleness and beauty of life, like religion or philosophy”: Bernadette Brennan, A Writing Life: Helen Garner and Her Work, Text, 2017, p 276. Looking to reflect on ‘This House of Grief’? Here are a collection of thought starters to help you on

your way. ‘Dark Emu, Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident?’ by Bruce Pascoe: A remarkable story, on

Aboriginal land use and agricultural practice before European intrusion. A real page-turner, it has recently been adapted for dance by Bangarra.

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Fiction: ‘The Children Act’ by Ian McEwan: A 17-year-old boy refuses a life-saving blood transfusion on

religious grounds; the judge confronts the consequences of her decision to order the transfusion. The novel has recently been made into a film with Emma Thompson as the judge. ‘We are All Completely Beside Ourselves’ by Karen Joy Fowler: In her review of this book in the

New York Times, Barbara Kingsolver begins: “To experience this novel exactly as the author intended, a reader should avoid the flap copy and everything else written about it. Including this review.” We urge you to respect that advice; your reward is a decisive plot twist. It is a remarkable read dealing with animal rights and welfare; it also has something to say about family life. ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro: A beautiful, challenging book about the question of whose

lives matter, and how. It was made into an acclaimed film in 2010 starring Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley. When Ishiguro received the Nobel Prize in literature in 2017, the citation described him as a writer "who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.” Writing a reflection on ‘Never Let Me Go’? Here are a few notes and points for discussion to help

you get started. ‘Exit West’ by Mohsin Hamid: A remarkable book that deals with the plight of two refugee lovers and

those whom they leave behind. We are keen for you to read as many of these books as possible. And in depth. So, we invite you to write a 1,000-word reflection on one of these books for 20 ROJ points. You might get a group together to discuss the book to sharpen your reflection. And you might want to write a reflection on more than one book. However, to ensure that you enjoy the richness of ROJ offerings under the program, there is a cap on the number of books you can acquire ROJ points for over a period of one year—two books and 40 ROJ points

Feel free to write a reflection on our past books including: ‘East West Street” by Philippe Sands, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood, 'The Tall Man' by Chloe Hooper, 'This Changes Everything' by Naomi Klein, and 'Talking To My Country', by Stan Grant.

The Brennan Justice Photography Competition (10 - 20 points)

This annual creative competition allows you to personally explore themes of justice whilst engaging the UTS and wider community with these themes and issues. Visit the UTS Law website to find out more information about this initiative, the competition guidelines and the competition opens for submissions.

Ad Hoc ROJ Activity (5 points)

Occasionally you may claim for Brennan initiatives or opportunities that do not fit into any of the above categories. These may be reflections on events or LTS experiences for the Brennan Yearbook, reflections on social justice issues promoted via the Facebook page, or anything else miscellaneous as approved ahead of time with the Brennan Administrator.

c. Capping ROJ points

The accumulation of ROJ points can be undertaken and completed at any stage of your studies, however, you cannot accrue 100 ROJ points in less than 12 months. This is to encourage you to develop you insights and experiences throughout the progression of your degree.

There is no upper limit on points that may be accrued and you are encouraged to participate in reflective exercises to the best of your capacity.

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d. How to log ROJ activities:

ROJ Activity How to accrue ROJ points Points

Ad Hoc Activity

An ad-hoc activity is a ROJ activity that does not fit into any of the below categories. You can use this section for claiming points towards 350-word reflections you've seen on the Brennan Facebook page, or other activities as discussed with the Brennan Administrator.

5 points

Internal event attendance

Register attendance via CareerHub – once you have attended the event and have had you name marked off at the event, you will automatically receive the relevant points.

5 points

External event attendance

Register attendance via CareerHub by writing a 350 reflective post or uploading a ticket or registration form.

5 points

Discussion Groups

Discussion Groups are held in Autumn and Spring sessions, and call outs for groups are released at the beginning of the session by the UTS LSS Brennan Program Director. To claim ROJ points for Discussion Group participation, you must write a minimum of five submissions of 200 words each in the ‘Discussion Group Claim Form’ Section of CareerHub.

20 points

Reflective blog A minimum of seven different entries of 350 words each uploaded to the ‘Reflective Blog’ section in CareerHub.

10 points

Reflection piece

A substantial reflection using media of your choice (podcast, video, 2-3 minute short film, poem, essay etc.) about a topic of interest or even a reflection on an event. Upload this piece to the ‘Substantial Reflective Piece’ section on CareerHub.

10-20 points with prior approval from Program

Administrator

Brennan Book Program

Read the prescribed book for that year and write a 1000 word reflection in ‘Brennan Book Program’ section on CareerHub.

20 points

The Brennan Justice

Photography Competition

Take a photograph that depicts a clear justice image. The parameters are broad - the photo can capture a staged or genuine image, but it must portray a justice issue that you feel strongly about. Instructions about how to enter are given at the time of the competition.

Winner: 20 points Participants: 10 points

(according to terms and conditions)

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5. Leadership through Service (LTS)

a. General requirements and rationale

The LTS component of the Brennan Program calls for students to engage in voluntary activities in a range of legal and non-legal settings that involves service to others and also indicates the assumption of some leadership role. For example, you might develop a fundraising initiative, lead an awareness raising campaign, take on higher organisational responsibility, or advocate for the needs of your host organisation. To be eligible for the Brennan Justice and Leadership Award, you must complete the required number of hours pertaining to the duration of your studies at UTS as set out below:

Degree length LTS hours required

5 year Degree 200 hours

4 year Degree 160 hours

3 year Degree 120 hours

Minimum 120 hours

When registering your participation in the Program via CareerHub, you will be required to confirm your degree length and the system will allocate the required LTS hours to your profile. You may wish to undertake service work together with fellow students. This is something that the Program encourages.

b. What qualifies as LTS?

To qualify for the Award, the service must be: ● voluntary, that is, is unremunerated except for reimbursement of costs such as travel expenses, ● with a not-for-profit organisation or project. (You should contact the Program Administrator for

guidance and, in appropriate cases, exemption from the non-profit requirement.)

It must not:

● attract academic credit or count towards any professional qualification such as under the professional experience requirement for admission as a legal practitioner.

Examples of LTS placements include:

Work in agencies that have a service provision function or ethic of care, advocacy and social concern (for example, providing services for homeless people, working with Indigenous organisations, as a teacher of English literacy to child refugees, and advocacy and advice for disadvantaged groups)

Volunteering as an intern or research assistant at a Faculty Centre (Anti-Slavery Australia, or the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII))

Volunteering or interning with legal clinics, community legal centres and other agencies that have a justice, public interest or service dimension to their work (e.g.Refugee Advice and Casework Service RACS)

Exercising leadership in student and university activities, for example, as an executive member of a UTS student club or society or a peer networker with the UTS Student Services Unit

Community service that involves the exercise of initiative and the development of leadership capacity, such as a facilitator / organiser of a community sports program

Law students participating in the Beyond UTS International Leadership Development (BUiLD), the UTS: SOUL Award or the UTS Accomplish Award Programs can receive dual recognition for some activities.

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Activities that are not within the LTS placement criteria include:

Volunteering as a research assistant with a private law firm

Working without pay in a business which operates for profit

Being paid by your employer to complete community service work

Unpaid marketing work which has a profit motive

Neither list is exhaustive of the full range of inclusions or exclusions.

c. Tiering and capping LTS hours

The Program encourages sustained, accumulating volunteer experience across law studies, instilling an enduring ethic of service. This has two implications.

Students are expected to accrue service across more than 12 months; no more than three-quarters (75%) of service hours that are accrued under the Program may be performed in less than 12 months.

Students are encouraged to seek volunteer positions in a broad range of services, however you may claim all of your LTS for work undertaken within one organisation if you wish.

Volunteer experience doesn’t need to be in a service that has a legal function for it to be credited under the Program. In this way the Program seeks to encourage leadership and initiative across the legal, social and community sectors.

d. Choosing a service activity and pre-approval

Students are encouraged to seek out service opportunities that reflect their own interests, commitments and community attachments. The experience of searching for opportunities to contribute is usually a valuable education in itself and develops initiative and resourcefulness as well as valuable contacts.

However, to ensure that any proposed activity is within the Program criteria, students should contact the Program Administrator at brennanprogram@uts.edu.au for confirmation that it fits within the criteria of the

Program. To help you find a placement, a letter of introduction is available explaining the Brennan Program to prospective placement organisations and why students might offer their volunteer services. Email brennanprogram@uts.edu.au to request a copy. The Brennan Program regularly advertises positions available via the Newsletter, UTSOnline Forum, and Facebook.

e. How to log LTS hours under the Program

All LTS hours must be submitted via CareerHub under the ‘Leadership through Service (LTS) Hours’ section. Before filling out this section, you and your supervisor must complete and sign

the Confirmation of Service Form. You will be required to upload this claim form as evidence of your

service.

The Program Administrator keeps a central database of service hours, however, we also advise that you keep copies of all approved forms.