Theme: A World Captured on Pause

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has suspended society as we knew it. Far from the busy-bee lifestyles many of us were used to, the electric social life and non-stop leisure activities, we find ourselves in and out of lockdowns, having to socially distance ourselves from our loved ones, and under constant anxiety about the fate of our futures.

The world, in the ways we had previously had accessed it, has been changed, or ‘put on pause’. “A World Captured on Pause” highlights that moment of the cessation of activity as our society has attempted to settle on ‘a new normal’.

“A World Captured on Pause” invites you to reflect on how our society functioned pre-pandemic, and whether it was truly serving us, or if we were too busy to notice some major flaws in our rapid way of living, the failings in our societies, and human values. The current pandemic situation has further motivated our speakers to reflect on how other life circumstances have paused their world, and reflect on how such meaningful and large shifts in their lives lead them to make the necessary changes to adapt to their new circumstances.

Our theme is also a way of reflecting on the ways in which the world has continued to move forward, despite these circumstances. Social movements continue to raise awareness for minorities and social change, while finding new avenues of doing it. Finally, the theme captures the way in which the pandemic is experienced by a great portion of our community. As many of us are now working from home, we are living a highly technological life, wherein we are surviving through buffering and pauses due to life being based on your technological abilities and accessibility. Our speakers are invited to bring their own interpretation of the theme and spread awareness on how the pandemic has shifted everyone’s lives in unimaginable ways.

A World Captured On Pause also invites forecasts on how we can move forward post-pandemic - to capture and understand the experiences of individuals and collectives as a result of this ‘pause’ on normality. We invite you to consider all the ways your life has been impacted not only by the pandemic, but any other situations that have paused your life before. How did you recover? How did you recharge? What significant changes did you need to make to create and adapt to your ‘new normal’? Has this changed your underlying perspective of the world? What does this mean to you moving forward?

University of Birmingham
Edgbaston Park Road
Birmingham, Birmingham, B29
United Kingdom

Alison Cope

Anti-Violence Campaigner

Alison Cope is the mother of Joshua Ribera, who was murdered in 2013. Since Joshua’s death Alison has used her experiences and life story to raise awareness about the devastating impact of youth violence, speaking to over 470,000 young people across the UK. She uses her resilience and strength to educate and support others in seeing a future beyond negative experiences. Her talk will focus around the themes of grief and the importance of hope in order to fight and survive through the complexities of losing a loved one. Her talk is nothing short of inspiring, providing an insight into the fire that burns for those we love the most.

Max Williams

Student

Max Williams is a first year MA Physics student from Porthcrawl, South Wales. In his spare time he likes to take part in activism and peaceful protests to raise awareness of climate change. He also enjoys baking, eating chocolate and watching Doctor Who. His favourite genre of music is 80s pop and techno. When the theatres are open, he loves doing lighting/sound design and stage management for threatre productions. In his talk, Max will present his vision of a Future world that has reached a standstill due to a surplusof data uploads to the cloud, unstoppable advancements in Artificial Intelligence and cataclysmic Unix time crash.

Michell Chresfield

Lecturer in United States History

Michell Chresfield is a lecturer in 20th century US history at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on the intersections of race, health, and identity. She is currently working on a book titled What Lies Between, which explores how indigenous communities of multiracial descent have worked with and against scientific models of knowledge-making in order to advance their own identity claims. Her talk will center around the racism that prevails in our society across many disciples - it goes beyond the police brutality and racist acts that the media publicizes. Her focus is on the healthcare system, and how the racial inequality present in medical interactions affects Black lives beyond the moment of interaction.

Mindu Hornick

Holocaust survivor

In 1942 when Mindu was 12 years old, she was put on a packed cattle car and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Mindu never saw her mother or her brothers again. In 1948 she decided to leave for the UK. Mindu settled in Birmingham and now gives numerous talks about her experiences to students and others each year. Having received the Lifetime Achievement Award and MBE status, Mindu now dedicates herself to bettering the community we live in by teaching young people to appreciate others’ faiths and beliefs. For her talk, Mindu will be supported by Ruth Jacobs, the Chair of West Midlands Friends of Israel who has helped Mindu share her story and help others. Her talk will focus on the themes of survival, perseverance, and the importance of empowering others by building connections with those who have similar experiences, and create a support network for everyone in difficult, life-changing situations.

Ruth Jacobs

Just over 20 years ago, Ruth encouraged Mindu Hornick to consider publicly speaking about her Holocaust experience, as one of less than a handful of camp survivors in the West Midlands. She was privileged to help her draft her talk and then support her as she spoke, which was very difficult and painful for her initially. She has become an inspiration to tens of thousands of school and further education students and the many adults who have heard her extraordinary story of survival and her strong message for a better world. Ruth is the Chair of West Midlands Friends of Israel- a grass roots organisation seeking to provide a better awareness of Israel’s successes and problems, and promoting peace in the region. Interfaith work is of significant interest to her through the Birmingham Council of Christians and Jews, Highgate Interfaith Group and as a founder member of Nisa Nashim West Midlands - a Jewish Muslim Womens’ Dialogue and Social Action group, established to build much needed bridges between our two communities. She is a member of Central TV News’s Faith and Diversity Panel and the West Midlands Combined Authority Faith and Diversity Group

Sam Baker

Student

Sam Baker currently pursues a BSc in Economics at University of Birmingham. He has been the founder and first president of the Airsoft and Paintball Society, the Vice President of the Consultancy Society and has sat on the Business School's Advisory Board. Sam is currently commissioned in the Royal Air Force Reserves as an Acting Pilot Officer, serving as Senior Student of the University of Birmingham Air Squadron (UBAS). In his talk, Sam shed light on the importance of influence and unity, and presents his vision on how leadership must evolve by 2050. He describes how we as a generation can guide each onto in the next 30 years to create a world we can be proud of.

Simon Halsey

Conductor

As an artist who can’t be confined to just a single activity, Simon holds positions across both the UK and Europe as artistic director, conductor, chorus director, artistic advisor, creative director, and so much more, in an even greater variety of locations. This excellence is demonstrated by the numerous awards he has won, including three Grammys for Best Choral Performance. Moreover, he is a highly respected teacher and academic, doing his best to inspire the next generation of choral conductors and, as such, he has become a well respected ambassador for choral singing His talk will focus on the impact the pandemic had on the music industry and the importance of reframing these industry dynamics to redefine a “new normal” in a post Covid world.

Sophia Badhan

Mental Health Advocate

Sophia Kaur Badhan BCAh is a 20-year-old award-winning mental health advocate and speaker with lived experience. Having the strength, resilience and determination to overcome significantly challenging personal circumstances is what feeds her conviction and resolve to advocate for better youth mental health access and treatment. As an active member of her community and proud Brummie, Sophia is part of the mental health youthboard, Think 4 Brum. Currently, she is pursuing studies in European Languages and Cultures at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Sophia’s talk will focus on the importance of taking a pause from the dynamics in everyday life. Drawing from her own experience, her talk will discuss the importance young people must place on their mental health as we thrive through the complexities of adulthood.