The PG420: International and Regional Security unit at Divine Word University’s Madang campus perfectly showcases the institution's drive to produce work-ready graduates.
This forward-thinking program pairs final-year Papua New Guinea and International Studies (PGIS) students with their peers from Communication Arts (CA) to research and launch strategic public awareness campaigns on critical national security threats, including food insecurity, corruption, border vulnerabilities, drug smuggling and other topics.
Facilitated by Senior International Relations Lecturer Bernard S. Yegiora, students bridge academic theory and digital execution by building YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and group blogs.
Rather than just writing traditional essays, groups translate complex national policies, like the Boe Declaration and international treaties, into engaging multimedia content, utilizing digital equipment to produce high-quality audio-visual pieces, live streams, and interactive polls.
This real-world campaign doubles as a professional portfolio, with Mr. Yegiora urging students in the criteria to take pride in their digital footprint to boost their CVs in media publishing and strategic communication, a model that has already seen graduates transition into successful roles as digital disruptors and content creators.
“Make sure to respond to comments made by your readers on your group blog…in a respectful manner. Some of the readers might be your future employers.”
“Your work could be added to your resume or CV to showcase your communication skills or social media publishing experience...the content you create will showcase your skills and creativity.”
Putting these ideas into action, a team of seven students: Cosmas Hafak, Damien Kingi, Anslem Nakin, Penuel Ben Wangu, Nina Marie Tibong, Twyla Yalu, Martha Yagama, and Olivia Alutao, has launched an urgent digital campaign. They are pushing the message across their own newly created pages (Borders & Beyond), while also sparking dialogue on the PNG Foreign Policy Community Facebook forum.
Their focus targets the intersection of Gender-Based Violence and Human Rights Abuse as critical threats to national stability.
Backed by rigorous referencing from think-tanks, journals, and mainstream media, the team is mastering the technical side of content creation and audience engagement while fulfilling DWU’s core mission: amplifying a powerful public message that human rights abuses cannot be normalized, and that citizens must actively speak up to protect the future of Papua New Guinea and the region.
