Monthly Archives: June 2022

SummerZone returns this August!

With the Summer holidays just around the corner, you may be thinking about how to keep your children active and entertained. With our SummerZone sports and activity camp for children aged 5 to 12, you won’t need to worry. During SummerZone we provide daily sports and activities, all under the supervision of experienced and DBS verified camp staff. Activities include Nerf, tennis, cricket, mini golf, New Age Kurling and much more. 

“Really impressed by EasterZone; facilities, staff, children and activities were all fantastic. Our children cannot wait for SummerZone!” – Parent feedback from EasterZone 2022

Dates and times:

SummerZone 2022 runs from Monday 15 to Friday 19 August. You can drop your children off from 8.30am and pick up at 3pm. We also offer a late pick-up option from 3pm to 5pm.

Booking and prices:

Online booking for SummerZone 2022 is now open. Please ensure you complete a form for each child you wish to book on SummerZone. Booking and payment can be completed online.

University of Kent staff

  • One day £30 per child
  • One week (five days) £125 per child

Members of the public

  • One day £35 per child
  • One week (five days) £150 per child

Late pick-up (3pm to 5pm)

Our late pick-up option includes fun and engaging activities tailored to the location, such as table tennis, table football, new age kurling, bowls, speed stacks, twister, board games, and creative drawing.

  • £10 per child per day

Questions?

If you have any questions about our holiday camps, or if you would like to be added to the mailing list for future camps, please email sportsdevelopment@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 816391.

To stay up to date with Kent Sport news, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter UniKentSports.

 

Kent Clearing Team

Call for Clearing Volunteers 2022!

From Simone Davies | Director of MORA

As many of you will know, Clearing is the time of year when we fill any remaining places on our courses. We receive phone calls from potential students who have not yet secured a place at University, meaning that during Clearing our hotline is especially busy.

This year, we require support from members of the University to ensure the success of our Clearing campaigns. We are therefore inviting volunteers to work in our Applications Support Team. You can work from home or from the campus, and training will be provided. The shifts for the Applications teams are:

Thursday 18 August: 07:45–15:45 or 09:00-17:00

Friday 19 August: 09:00-17:00

If you would like to get involved, please speak with your line manager and email Ami Solomon a.solomon@kent.ac.uk

Thank you in advance for your help in supporting future students on their journey to Kent – we can’t do this without you.

Come and join Little Amal on 27 June!

Staff and students are warmly invited to the return of Little Amal to our campus in Canterbury!

After captivating the world by travelling 8,000km from Syria to the UK embodying the urgent message “Don’t forget about us”,  Amal – a 3.5-meter puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee and now a symbol representing hope for migrants is once again coming back to the University of Kent!

This return has been organised in collaboration with the Migration and Movement Signature Research Theme.  Amal will join us as part of her New Steps New Friends tour with focus on Together Again on Monday 27 June at 14.00, where she will mark World Refugee Week and share a message of resilience, healing and hope with anyone who has been forced to leave their homes.

This event is a platform for us to heal through movement with Amal – a moment to express ourselves, exchange learning and our shared lived experiences, and to embody different cultures and communities through music and dance.

Come join us and Amal share awareness of the worldwide mass displacement!

For more information about Amal’s visit and register your attendance, visit  Together Again: Healing through Movement with Amal – Public and Community Engagement

Memorial at Canterbury Cathedral for Dr James Appleyard (23 June)

Memorial at Canterbury Cathedral for Dr James Appleyard, 23 June at 14:00.

Dr James Appleyard was awarded an honorary degree by the University in July 1999. Throughout his career as a consultant paediatrician and child health campaigner he was a strong supporter of the University and most recently the new Kent and Medway Medical School. He was also Treasurer of the British Medical Association and President of the World Medical Association.

As a highly respect local doctor and campaigner across the county, his family would welcome being joined at the memorial by University staff who had the opportunity to work with and get to know him.

The memorial for Dr James Appleyard will be held in the Quire of Canterbury Cathedral on Thursday, 23 June at 14:00.

Obituaries:

"Mother" in neon lights.

Birth Rites Collection exhibition at Kent

What is the Birth Rites Collection?

Birth Rites Collection (BRC) is the first and only collection of contemporary artwork dedicated to the subject of childbirth, and is being hosted at the University. It is the first time it is being hosted and exhibited in such an environment, which was chosen to reflect the fact that birth, commonly perceived as a medical affair, is also a social and cultural event.

The collection was established by artist and curator Helen Knowles following a touring exhibition at the Glasgow Science Centre and Manchester Museum in 2008 and has since expanded to over 90 artworks, which include tapestries from the Birth Project (1981-83) by internationally renowned artist Judy Chicago, amongst many others. All artworks are acquired through artist donation or commission and includes multiple art forms, including photography, performance, sculpture, painting, print, wallpaper, drawing, new media and film.

Where to find the exhibition on campus

Thanks to the generous support of the University’s Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries, Division of Arts and Humanities, and Professor Darren Griffin from its School of Biosciences, artworks will be on display at a number of locations across the University campus. These include The Wigoder Building, part of Kent Law School, The Templeman Library, Grimond Building and Gulbenkian Arts Centre.

Professor Catherine Richardson, Director of the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries, said: ‘The University of Kent is delighted to be hosting The Birth Rites Collection. This fascinating collection of art has the potential to spark debate, learning and awareness around issues as diverse as blockchain and reproductive technologies, the politics and practice of childbirth, and the relationship between art, health and social care.’

BRC has an established record of working within an academic context, having previously been housed at the University of Salford and King’s College, London, where the collection was used as a creative research tool to support interdisciplinary teaching practices.

Helen Knowles said: ‘We are excited to be moving the Birth Rites Collection to the University of Kent and embarking on a new partnership with an innovative and creative institution. It is important that the artworld moves outside of London and connects with wider communities across the UK. This opportunity to be based in the southeast of England is very prescient, in light of maternal health inequalities and the unequal access to contemporary art regionally. We hope to contribute to a wider debate on the subject of birth and engage with the people of Canterbury, Kent and beyond.’

Birth Rites Collection Summer School

As part of the collaboration with Birth Rites, Kent will also host a Birth Rites Collection Summer School this September. The unique programme of lectures, workshops, seminars and one-to-one tutorials will introduce participants to the collection and facilitate a dialogue between them, their practice and the artworks.

Led by Helen Knowles and Hermione Wiltshire, artist and Co-Head of the Photography Programme at the Royal College of Art, the course will appeal to a range of individuals – from midwifes and health professionals to artists and policy advisors. Bursaries this year are offered to staff and students at the University of Kent and KMMS only. See more information about the summer school.

Person on zoom call holding up of tea

Summer vacation support from Student Support and Wellbeing 

Student Support and Wellbeing continues to be open throughout the summer vacation - our offices are only closed on weekends and bank holidays, including Monday 29 August.  

Booking appointments with Student Support and Wellbeing staff 

You can still book online or face to face appointments with specialist support staff from 9.00-13.00 and 14.00-17.00 throughout the summer, both in person and online, as long as you’re a registered student at Kent. Contact us at KentSSW@kent.ac.uk for Canterbury students, and MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk for Medway students to arrange support during the summer vacation. 

Mental health crisis support 

If you’d like to speak with support staff urgently in office hours, Monday to Friday, 9.00-17.00, please phone on 01227 826573 for the Canterbury campus or 01634 888474 for Medway. 

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need emergency wellbeing or counselling support outside of office hours, our external partners Spectrum Life can offer you online, text, and telephone support from qualified counsellors and therapists.

Spectrum will work with you in getting initial support and help during your crisis and the University Student Support and Wellbeing teams will contact you on the next working day. Spectrum Life is available on Monday to Friday evenings from 20.00 till 08.00, and on weekends and Bank Holidays. Telephone: 0800 0318227 and press option 1, or Text ‘Hi’ to: 00353 87 369 0010. Search for the Spectrum Life app from your app store and follow the log in instructions 

If you need emergency support on either Canterbury or Medway campus, Campus Security staff are on duty 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and can always be contacted on their emergency number: 01227 82 3333. 

More mental health support providers 

  • For 24/7 free online support from peers and trained professionals, all Kent students can access Togetherall.
     
  • If you’re having a difficult time and want to talk to someone, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org. 
     
  • If you would prefer to receive support via text message, Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope, simply text 85258. 

Together with our partner organisations, we’re here to support you over the summer. 

If you use Instagram, follow @UniKentSSW for information any wellbeing support groups or opportunities over vacation, and inspiring articles and information to help you stay well and connected to yourself and others, whatever you’re doing during vacation. 

Industrial action

Industrial action goodwill payment scheme

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience 

Thank you for your continued patience during the periods of industrial action this academic year. We have been working hard to assess the impact of the industrial action on each of you across all our academic Divisions. We appreciate this process has taken some time. However, it was important to ensure that the effect of the industrial action on all our students was assessed fairly and equitably.

Goodwill gesture payments for eligible students 

Based on the information that we have about teaching events impacted by the industrial action from Divisions, and in conjunction with Kent Union, the University’s Executive Group has now approved a goodwill gesture payment scheme. Through this scheme, eligible students whose teaching activities were disrupted will receive payments directly to their bank accounts based on the impact in their areas.

Because the University does not hold students’ bank details, we will work with Western Union to ensure safe, secure payments can be made to students’ bank accounts allowing all eligible students to receive the payment they are entitled to.

When will I find out if I am eligible? 

If you are eligible for an industrial action goodwill payment, we will contact you via your Kent student email by the middle of July to arrange payment.

Final year students’ email accounts will remain active until 12 August 2022* to allow time to complete the payment process. Reminder emails will be sent before Finalist email accounts are closed.

For further information, you can contact industrialaction@kent.ac.uk.

Best wishes,

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience 

*this date has been extended until 12 September 2022.

Leave Canterbury Clean | Kent Community Litter Pick

At this time of the year, as students move out of their off-campus accommodation, litter can build up in our community. We want to make sure we leave Canterbury clean and as such we are organising a community litter pick!

Clean and green environments can nurture positive mental and physical wellbeing and promote a happier community. A litter-free place reduces damage to local habitats, and by recycling materials that might otherwise become litter, natural resources are also protected.

This links with goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and goal 15: Life on Land on the UN sustainability goals.

Find out more about this community litter pick on our events page here.

You can sign up individually or with your team by emailing communityliaison@kent.ac.uk. All gloves, litter pickers and bags are provided, and you can come along for as long or as little as you want!

We hope you can come with us to protect our local environment and develop the excellent relationship we have with our neighbours off-campus.

Booking Open! Research and Innovation Support Network Conference

Join colleagues from a range of research and innovation roles at the University of Kent for this one-day opportunity to share expertise and experiences.

Time and place

The conference will take place on Tuesday 5 July, Templeman Library, Canterbury campus.

What to expect at the conference

Lunch and refreshments will be provided for all delegates as well as opportunities to meet with colleagues from across the University.

A fascinating range of presentations, workshops and discussions, from our professional and academic colleagues, will help you to discover new opportunities and find out about different ways of working, including:

  • Building a positive research and innovation culture at the University of Kent
  • Understanding the Knowledge Exchange Framework and how this applies to our institution
  • Discovering the expertise that technical, and other professional roles, can bring to funded research projects
  • Attitudes to the role of part time and flexible working in Higher Education, and how this looks at the University of Kent
  • How members of the public, including professional staff, can get involved in designing and carrying out research.

How to book your free place

All staff who support or have an interest in research and innovation across the university are invited, but we particularly welcome staff in professional support roles.

Book your free place via Eventbrite by Tuesday 28 June.

Contact us

Email the organising committee with your comments or questions.