From the Nominator

"The Newcastle Alumni Day of Action was created as an evolution of our traditional alumni reunion weekend in response to a demand from alumni to make meaningful contributions to issues affecting all our daily lives. The Day of Action became a month-long programme of activities uniting our communities in support of the theme of social justice.     

Our aim was to encourage alumni, students, and colleagues to take tangible action on social injustices. This included multiple opportunities to network, build knowledge, be inspired by the world-class work of Newcastle graduates and researchers, and most importantly, take personal action. The mainly virtual format enabled alumni worldwide to take part and make the impact truly global.   

The subjects tackled were driven by the desire among alumni to engage with issues that mattered most to them and that lie at the heart of our University’s values. These were:    

• Poverty, welfare, and social class  

• Gender and sexuality  

• Health and well-being  

• Race, religion, and migration    

The series included online concerts, talks and discussions, challenge events, and donation opportunities, all supported by a carefully curated set of accompanying digital resources to enable further learning. A highlight was a celebratory talk given by eminent social justice scholar, Reverend Professor Keith Magee, who served as senior religious affairs advisor with the Obama for America 2008 campaign.   

The impact was remarkable, achieving a substantial uplift in online engagement, enhanced participation from international alumni, inspiring examples of philanthropic partnerships, and ever-closer connections between our alumni and academic communities."

From the Judges

The enormous scope of the project, along with the sheer importance of the topic made this a very impressive entry. The project offered worldwide impact while addressing potentially sensitive issues. They also achieved impressive philanthropic results that had both worldwide and personal impact on individuals.