CIFAL Newcastle, Australia

01/10/2026

A big and warm welcome to Zitong and Irene, who have travelled all the way from China to join us at CIFAL Newcastle for the next three months!

During their internship, they’ll be learning all things sustainability while working alongside our team and sharing and their own perspectives. We can’t wait to learn from one another along the way.

We’re very excited to have them with us and look forward to showing them everything Newcastle has to offer.



Zitlong
📚 Studying: East China University of Political Science and Law
🌱 Passionate about: I am interested in SDG8, decent work and economic growth.
✨ Fun fact: I love sleeping, eating, taking vocation, and am a big fan of playing ‘Majiang’ which is a traditional Chinese game.

Irene
📚 Studying: International Law at ECUPL. 
🌱 Passionate about:  I am particularly interested in SDG 2: Zero Hunger, especially the challenges faced by children and disadvantaged communities experiencing food insecurity.
✨ Fun fact: I am good at painting food in watercolour.

20/08/2026

Last Saturday the 15th of August was the University of Newcastle’s Open Day.

On behalf of the CIFAL Newcastle team we would like to say a huge thank you if you stopped by for a chat with our team. Every year we attend we get more interest and engagement from prospective students and the community about who we are and what we do. This year it was noticeable the increase in recognition of the Sustainable Development Goals, which opened the door to a huge range of interesting ideas, questions and collaborations. We can’t wait to see where these conversations lead. Till next year!

23/07/2026

As Self-Care Month comes to a close, what have you done for yourself lately?

Today is International Self-Care Day and the final day of WHO Self-Care Month—a reminder that caring for ourselves isn’t a luxury, it’s a foundation for our health, wellbeing, and ability to make a positive impact.

At CIFAL Newcastle, we know that creating a more sustainable future starts with sustainable people. Whether it’s taking time to rest, setting boundaries, moving your body, connecting with others, or seeking support when you need it.

Self-care helps build the resilience needed to contribute to our communities and the world around us.

After all, we can’t build a better world if we’re burnt out.

As Self-Care Month ends, take a moment to reflect and ask yourself: What’s one self-care habit you’ll carry forward into the months ahead?

CIFALNewcastle

17/04/2026

With Earth Day 2026 approaching, CIFAL Newcastle is teaming up with .uon, .uon, and this 22nd of April for the UNSA Stress Less event.
Find us at the pop-up gardening stall in Auchmuty Courtyard — plant a seedling, chat sustainability, and learn a little more about what CIFAL Newcastle is all about. We’d love to see you there! And while you’re at it, take your next class or meeting outside, turn off a light you don’t need, or pick up that piece of rubbish you’ve been stepping over all week. You know the one.

Other Earth Day events worth knowing about:

Beach Clean Day x Sea Shepherd — Tomorrow Saturday 18 April 9.00AM at Bar Beach Hosted by NUSEC x CACUN.

Bolwarra Landcare & Habitat Stack Painting — Sunday 26 April 8:30 AM -12:00 PM Hosted by NUSEC. A great way to give back to local green spaces.

Head to Newcastle University Student Environment Club (NUSEC) events page to register and find more stuff happening in Newcastle (it’s free!)

Link: https://campus.hellorubric.com/?eid=60765

Also — A huge shoutout to a brand new club on campus building volunteering opportunities across all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We see you and we love what you’re doing 👀

UNSA NUGS NUSEC CACUN StressLess Sustainability SDGs UNITAR Newcastle StartWhereYouAre

11/03/2026

05/02/2026

Disasters, inequity, and social vulnerability: Building inclusive resilience
Resilience Matters webinar series | 18 February 2026 | 1.00pm - 2.00pm AEDT

In the sixth instalment of the Resilience Matters webinar series, we will be joined by Bridget Tehan, Senior Advisor, Humanitarian Diplomacy at the Australian Red Cross.

Bridget will lead a person-centred conversation about the intersection between disasters, inequality, and social vulnerability, and what we need to understand and action to build inclusive resilience.

The webinar will focus on the social impacts of disaster and how hazards interact with existing inequalities.

Bridget will then discuss how limited housing choice, poor-quality housing, lack of insurance, health and mobility barriers, and reduced access to information make preparation, evacuation, and recovery significantly harder for socially vulnerable populations.

The session will conclude by exploring how addressing structural disadvantage, recognising intersectionality, and co-designing disaster planning with diverse communities leads to fairer, more effective, and more sustainable disaster risk reduction outcomes.

Register: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/GvkWC81VgJTjg1jKMtEHBIyowqU?domain=aidr.us13.list-manage.com

07/12/2025

Ia ora na! My name is Jasmine, and I’m the Junior Project Officer at CIFAL Newcastle.

I was lucky enough to attend the first 2025 Pacific Universities Biennial in beautiful Tahiti, hosted by the Nārua Project at the University of French Polynesia (UPF). I represented both CIFAL Newcastle and the University of Newcastle as an undergrad student. An honour I’m so grateful for.

Over three days, delegations from across the pacific came together to strengthen connections and understanding across our institutions, as well as share exciting initiatives in teaching, research, student life, governance, and sustainability.

A highlight for me was taking part in the Hackathon Day – Towards a Pacific Core Curriculum for Transitions, where we co-designed a shared module on environmental and social change across partner universities in just one day.

Māuruuru (Thank you) UPF, Nārua, and CIFAL Newcastle for the chance to learn, share, and collaborate with amazing people from across the Pacific, this experience will stay with me forever!

At CIFAL Newcastle, we will be working on the development of a new active allyship project, focused on the opportunities for innovation created by integrating First Nations culture as a core element in developing a new sustainability framework.