Monthly Archives: September 2024

Events roundup: 30 September – 6 October

This week sees the start of Black History Month with events including a coffee morning, inspirational speaker talk, art exhibition and film nights. See all Black History Month events.

Plus, there’s lots more happening this week including sessions to improve your skills, meet others and challenge yourself to try something new.

Monday 30 September: IT skills and board game night

Do you need to brush up on your basic IT skills? Join this Skills for Academic Success Team’s webinar about using the Windows Operating System including formatting Word documents and saving files in different formats.

Live in on-campus accommodation? On Monday evening you can join ResLife Ambassadors Himadri and Elyse for board games, puzzles and card games in DG-01 in Templeman Library.

Tuesday 1 October: finding a part-time job and PGR time management

Thinking about finding a part-time job? This in-person session in Keynes will cover different options for part-time work, what might be best for you and steps you need to take to apply for roles.

The Graduate and Researcher College are running a time management and habits in-person session for postgraduate researchers including topics such as prioritisation and procrastination.

Wednesday 2 October: Social justice talk, ResLife Cup, Business Start Up Journey Launch and GOLD programme info session

As part of Black History Month, Andrew Morris, activist and founder of the New Wave Trust joins us for the first in our series of talks on the topic of social justice. Andrew will share his unique and personal perspective on Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPPs) and discuss the wider issues that surround the current justice system in the UK.

The first event of the ResLife Cup is here with an inflatable assault course, hungry hippos, gladiators and much more. Score points for your accommodation (or just for fun if you live off campus) and enjoy trying out some exciting new activities with friends.

Interested in starting your own business? Join the Business Start-Up Journey Launch event on Wednesday afternoon to find out more about the University’s flagship entrepreneurship programme and hear from two Kent alumni as they share their inspiring stories of starting their own businesses. The Business Start-Up Journey is run by ASPIRE, the University dedicated space to support student entrepreneurs.

Open to all students, the Global Officer Leadership Development (GOLD) programme is a year-long course designed to develop your leadership skills, global citizenship and cultural intelligence. Come along to the GOLD programme information session in Ingram to find out more. There is an additional info session at Medway next week.

Thursday 3 October: participating in seminars, social sports (Medway) and launch of Pop ‘n’ Soul Choir

The Skills for Academic Success team are running a webinar all about participating in seminars. Learn key tips on how to make the most from your seminars, what to expect and how you can perform at your best within the seminar format.

At Medway, you can give Social Badminton or Social Cricket a go for free at Waterfront UTC which is just down the road from Pier Quays accommodation.

Postponed from last week, the Pop ‘n’ Soul Choir is launching on Thursday evening. Open to all without audition and there’s no need to read music. Just come along!

Friday 4 October: Farm visit with afternoon tea and volunteer at the Kent Community Oasis Garden

If you live in on-campus accommodation, you can join a farm visit and afternoon tea for just £5. Meet and brush friendly horses and enjoy a tasty afternoon tea in a local village.

Each Wednesday and Friday, you’re welcome to go along to the Kent Community Oasis Garden (KentCOG) located near Park Wood. KentCOG is a collection of students, staff and community members working to create a sustainability hub centred around growing food.

See all student events.

Black Student Market sign up form

Following the success of the previous student-led markets, Kent Students’ Union is looking to organise another Black Student Market this Black History Month (BHM)!

In celebration of BHM, we eagerly anticipate the participation of a diverse array of student businesses, all led by Black students, who will showcase their products at the University of Kent. Hundreds of staff and students are invited to join us at the Plaza on our Canterbury campus to support and purchase from these Black-led ventures.

For further details, the event will take place between 12:00 and 15:00 on Tuesday, 29 October. Businesses are encouraged to set up between 11:00 and 12:00, and dismantle their stalls at 15:00.

If you’re a Black student entrepreneur and interested in securing a stall to showcase and sell your products, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Stall spaces are limited and filling up fast, so please ensure your spot by registering your interest on the online form.

Closing date for registration of interest: 1 October 2024

Apply for the Wellbeing Student Advisory Board

Applications for the Wellbeing Student Advisory Board are now open.

The Advisory Board’s purpose is to help guide Kent Students’ Union and the University of Kent in improving our approach to student wellbeing and ensuring our work is impactful and accessible to all students. This will involve discussing current and future plans and offering suggestions based on the board’s shared expertise and experiences. Topics discussed at meetings will include mental health, safety initiatives, the cost of living crisis, sense of community and belonging, as well as anything else that is important to you. You will help shape student wellbeing at Kent.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for 12 students on undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, from a range of courses and years to create a diverse and inclusive panel. Any student who is currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University of Kent can apply to be part of the panel.

No prior experience is required to be a member. All you need is to be passionate about student welfare and helping all students to love their time at Kent.

What to expect

A two-hour meeting will occur three times in the academic year with additional opportunities to get involved in projects and campaigns. Invitations for these meetings will be sent once membership to the board is confirmed.

Students based on the Canterbury campus will receive £20 KentOne credit (or an Amazon £20 Voucher) in exchange for their active participation in the two-hour WSAB meeting. Students who are not based on the Canterbury Campus will be compensated for their time at the same rate through an alternative method. Students will also be able to earn Employability Points throughout the academic year.

How to apply

To apply, please submit either a maximum of a 500-word response or a 2-minute-long video telling us a bit more about you, what skills and experiences you feel you would bring to the role and why you would like to get involved.

The deadline to submit your application is midday on 23 October 2024

Apply now

If you have any questions please email Teslimat Bello (Vice-President Welfare and Community) at Kent Students’ Union, t.bello-650@kent.ac.uk

20% off Student Art Pass until 30 September

A Student Art Pass lets you dive into culture on a budget with FREE entry to hundreds of museums and galleries across the UK, and 50% off major exhibitions.

Plus, you’ll gain access to paid arts opportunities and grow your network by joining the #WeAreArtful @StudentArtPass community.

Limited offer: Use code FRESHERS to get 20% off your Student Art Pass before Monday 30 September.

Available for a limited time. Get your pass today.

Business Start-Up Journey Launch, 2 October

Two University of Kent alumni share their inspiring stories of starting their own businesses at the launch of this year’s Business Start-Up Journey, the University’s flagship entrepreneurship programme.

Nadia Simpson, a Kent Business School graduate and founder of the London-based fragrance and wellness brand From Amora, will share her experience of building a business that specialises in cruelty-free and alcohol-free perfume oils. With 25k TikTok followers and over 10k Instagram followers, Nadia has built a strong following and brand in a competitive industry.

Alex Ford, a Business and Computer Science graduate and serial entrepreneur, co-founded the fintech company Claro Wealth, based in London, which has secured over £7 million in funding and grown to a team of 32 professionals. The company has been featured on national TV and now has over 40,000 app users with £6 million deposited. Alex’s journey will offer incredible insight into what it takes to build a successful fintech start-up.

Both Alex and Nadia will talk honestly about being an entrepreneur and the ambition which drives them through the lows, to the highs.

What is the Business Start-Up Journey?

The Business Start-Up Journey is a 15-week programme packed with interactive and practical workshops that guide participants through every stage of launching a business. From coming up with an idea and testing it, to marketing, finance, and pitching to investors – the programme covers it all.

Whether you’re at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial journey or looking to refine your business idea, the Business Start-Up Journey offers the support and resources you need to succeed.

Business Start-Up Journey launch event

The 2024 launch will take place on October 2 in Lecture Theatre 1, Sibson, Canterbury. As the University of Kent’s largest extracurricular entrepreneurial programme, the event will be a fantastic opportunity to meet inspiring business owners and likeminded students.

The Business Start-Up Journey is run by ASPIRE, the University of Kent’s dedicated space to support student entrepreneurs. ASPIRE is open to all University of Kent students and helps develop the entrepreneurial skills needed to turn ideas into successful businesses. Join us on 2nd October for an inspiring event and learn more about how the Business Start-Up Journey can help you take your business ideas to the next level.

Register for the launch event.

Expect Respect

Welcome to Kent (and welcome back to all returning students)! Hopefully you are starting to settle into the swing of things, establishing a routine, making friends and settling into your classes. With that in mind, now seems like the perfect opportunity to bring your attention to the all-student e-learning Moodle module, Expect Respect.

You have probably seen Expect Respect on your Moodle homepage, or seen information about it circulated by your Academic School, but may not have opened it yet or know what it is all about.

Expect Respect is an open module that every student, regardless of course, year, level or mode of study, is automatically registered on when they first join the University. Kent is a large, diverse organisation with different nationalities, cultures, religions, ages, disabilities, sexualities, genders, philosophies, values and beliefs all represented. This means Kent is a vibrant, energising and exciting place to learn about how other people think and navigate the world, but can also mean that sometimes those beliefs and values can cause conflict between people when they disagree. We want everyone to feel at home and that they belong at Kent. Expect Respect is designed to introduce you to some of the behaviours that we expect all students (and staff) to display whilst they are with us and to help ensure that any difference in view or opinion is discussed or treated respectfully.

Expect Respect introduces you to ideas and concepts, some of which may be familiar to you and others may be completely new. It covers topics such as racism and becoming actively anti-racist, gender identity and gender critical viewpoints, Academic Freedom of Speech, ageism and sexism and religious discrimination as well as an introduction to having challenging conversations and being an active bystander. Importantly, it introduces you to all the support services at Kent, including our Report and Support system to help you get access to specialist support for anything in relation to discrimination, harassment or sexual assault. It has been developed in collaboration with academic staff and student societies over a number of years to ensure it is balanced and truly reflective of the myriad voices we have here.

Some of the topics in the module may well be uncomfortable for you. That is OK! Much of your learning at university will encourage you to think and reflect critically and Expect Respect is no different. Worried that a topic may be upsetting for you? No problem, you have the option to skip specific sections if you need to. The Specialist Wellbeing Team is also available to provide you with help and support if you would benefit from this. You don’t have to complete the module all in one go, although we would encourage you to finish it by the end of the first term if possible.

If you have any questions about Expect Respect please contact the Student EDI Officer on StudentEDI@kent.ac.uk

Your Sexual Health Matters

STIs can have a major impact on your health regardless of your age, gender or sexual orientation. The best way to reduce your risk of an infection is to use a condom consistently and correctly with new or casual partners.

If you think you have an STI, it’s important to been seen quickly by a qualified professional. The NHS provides free, confidential STI testing to detect any potential infections and prevent you passing them on to others.

For further information see the sexual health web pages of Kent County Council that provides a wealth of information about sexual health, testing and services in the area, what going for a check-up is like and ordering of self-test kits. The Gate Clinic based at Kent & Canterbury Hospital offer bookable appointments throughout the week.

For Medway area contact the NHS Clover Street sexual health hub including services specifically for under 25s.

Unboxing at home STI self-testing kit

Apply to be a Global Officer

We are delighted to invite Kent students to apply for this year’s Global Officers Leadership Development (GOLD) Programme. The programme is a co-curricular venture, designed to fit around your academic studies. It provides a framework of activities for globally-minded students at Kent to develop their leadership skills, global citizenship and cultural awareness.

There are 5 components which can be completed throughout the academic year.

Benefits include:

Employability Points awarded per activity
Certificate of recognition and open reference from the Director and Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning
Practical event & project management experience
A chance for you to record your international skill development in the Kent Global Passport.

This programme is also offered as a credit-bearing ‘wild’ module, GOLD5000.

For further details please see our website or you can come along to our information sessions:

Canterbury campus

Wed 02 Oct, 16:00-17:30 in Ingram LT
Wed 09 Oct, 14:00-15:30 in Ingram LT

Medway campus

Thurs 10 Oct, 12:00-13:00 in Oasis Lounge, Medway Building

Deadline to apply is 12:00 (noon UK time), 14 October, 2024.

(If considering taking this as a wild module, usual module registration deadline applies).

What past students have said:

I would highly recommend this programme to any student who is globally minded and wants to be more active on campus, as well as wanting to learn new skills that you don’t get when you join a society.

Preena Dodhia, BSc Biomedical Science

My time on the GOLD Programme has been absolutely amazing. I truly enjoyed learning about different cultures, meeting new people and taking part in the initiatives under it. Not only have I become more confident as an individual, but I have also improved in my leadership and cultural awareness capabilities.

Global Officer, 2023-24

The GOLD programme is a GREAT opportunity for anyone looking to place themselves out of their comfort zone, gain skills and meet like-minded people. It gave me the chance to develop new interests and connect to other programmes and opportunities with international universities, all of which can be utilised in my search for a job after university. I have made amazing friends who I will keep in touch with, and felt like I have extended my year abroad experience in the comfort of Kent, keeping my passion for understanding cultures alive! I would recommend GOLD to all Kent students with an interest in the international and encourage you to put yourself out there.

Lucy Lavender, BA Politics and International Relations with a Year in Continental Europe

Events roundup: 23-29 September

Teaching begins this week – make sure you log your attendance in classes using Presto.

Welcome Week may be over but there’s still plenty of opportunities to get involved and ways to get settled in:

Monday 23 September: Library tour, Wellness Walkabout and finding a part-time job

Get to know Templeman Library with a 30 minute drop-in library tour (11:00-11:30 and 15:00-15:30 each day this week). Find out how to borrow books, explore library study spaces and learn how to use the self-service machines.

Meet new people and you’re the best places to relax and recharge at the ResLife Wellness Walkabout Canterbury campus tour.

On Monday evening you can join UV Games at The Hub including UV table tennis, pickle ball, chess and jenga.

Tuesday 24 September: Ask your questions and live comedy night

Live in on-campus accommodation? Meet your ResLife Ambassadors and enjoy a social in DG-01 in Templeman Library. Ask questions you have about campus life and settling in, play games and enjoy hot drinks and biscuits.

If you’re living off campus, join this workshop to meet the Student Welfare and Community Life team who can give you some top tips for living in Canterbury around dealing with landlords, money and staying safe. Plus, there will be snacks and freebies.

On Tuesday evening you can enjoy a free live comedy night at Woody’s, with headliners Abi Clarke and Dane Buckley

Wednesday 25 September: plant pot painting, find out about the careers service and Medway Autumn Social

Relax and meet new people at this Plant Pot Painting session in DG-01 in Templeman Library.

Learn all about our Careers and Employability Service at this in-person session in Keynes. Discover tools and services that Kent students have access to so you can make your next steps.

Based at Medway campus? Head to the Oasis Lounge for the Medway Autumn Social on Wednesday afternoon for some hot drinks and sweet treats to kick off the academic year.

Thursday 26 September: Free houseplants, introduction to university study and activities to try

Pick up a free houseplant on the central plaza (while stocks last!) from the Kent Community Oasis Garden. Plus, find out about the house plant hospital, propagation and ask any questions you have about the garden.

New to university study? You can join one of these online sessions for undergraduates or postgraduates by our Skills for Academic Success team. The sessions will cover what to expect and how you can succeed as you embark on your studies.

**This event has been postponed to Thursday 3 October** If you love to sing, why not come along to the launch of the new Pop ‘n’ Soul Choir? It’s open to students, staff and the local community with no audition and no need to read music. Come along to Colyer Fergusson on a Thursday evening and enjoy singing pop and soul songs.

Get creative at the Crafternoon at The Hub. Paint some coasters or your clay crafts from the last week.

Friday 27 September: Introduction to KentCOG and Employability Points Scheme

Have you visited the Kent Community Oasis Garden before? On Friday lunchtime you can come along for an introduction to the garden and find out how you can get involved with their activities.

Our Employability Points Scheme rewards students for their active engagement with co-curricular activities with experiences of work. ‘Employability Points’ can be cashed-in for the chance to apply for exclusive internships, work placements, training and more. Find out all about the Employability Points scheme and sign up at this online session.

Saturday 28 September: Nature ramble in Blean Woods

On Saturday you can join the ResLife Ambassadors for a nature ramble in the nearby Blean Wood. Plus, you get to meet ResLife mascots, dogs Beatrice and Tara.

See all student events on the My Kent events page.

Conserving collective learning from two decades of welcoming refugees in Kent

Volunteering Opportunity for Kent staff and students

Are you interested in learning more about Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) and the work they do with refugees in Kent, and also build skills in oral history transcriptions and producing transcription summaries? You might wish to get involved in this project! Read on to find out more…

The University of Kent’s Special Collections and Archives are delighted to be working on the KRAN Family Matters: Kent Refugee Action Network 20th Anniversary Heritage Project. This is a project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to celebrate the 20th anniversary of KRAN by recording oral histories with the people involved with the organisation.

Capturing two decades of work to welcome refugees in Kent

The project aims to learn the story of the organisation first-hand, from the people involved in setting it up and realising its vision to support under-age asylum seekers. During the project, KRAN’s Youth Ambassadors will be trained in Oral History techniques, and will interview those involved in the organisation, recording and conserving the collective learning gained from two decades of working to welcome refugees in Kent.

The oral histories will provide a record of the challenges and successes in KRAN’s history through stories and experiences passed down from founders, volunteers, staff and supporters. The project team will be working to fill gaps, bring in new perspectives and give voice to people excluded from traditional historical records.

Special Collections and Archives at the University of Kent will be providing a permanent home for the KRAN oral history collection, and ensure they are catalogued and preserved using professional standards, and made accessible according to data protection and confidentiality requirements. Look out for more information on a November launch event in the Templeman!

How can you get involved?

If you are interested in this opportunity please do get in touch with Beth Astridge in Special Collections and Archives: SpecialCollections@kent.ac.uk. All training will be provided and the work can be done entirely remotely.