The beginning of 2021 has brought a rather different experience for many University students than the usual start of term, with many working from home and isolating. However, no matter how different, it is still vitally important to socialise in a safe way and to stay active!

A great way to keep connected with your peers is through student groups and the great activities they have to offer, even in lockdown. Whether you want to become more active or make new friends, there will be a group perfect for you. You can still get involved with many of Kent’s student groups, with most running online events to keep students busy.

Getting Active

Many student groups are continuing to support students in getting active whilst they’re at home and away from campus. Here are a few great ways they are ensuring that you can stay active and involved!

• Yoga Society – This term the Yoga Society are running classes over Zoom, with a free taster class on the 6th of February for non-members. It’s a great way to get active, but also a good way to focus on your wellbeing and mental health.
• Kent Pole Fitness – To keep you active, Kent Pole Fitness is running strength and flex classes on Instagram Live. They will also be running yoga and other workshops on Zoom soon!
• Kent Dance – This term, Kent Dance is running weekly virtual dance classes in a range of styles, so you can do a class in a style you’re familiar with or try something completely new! They are also holding virtual fitness and technique workshops, and all classes are over Instagram Live, so you don’t even have to have your camera on. Next week, they will be running a Contemporary class to Lo Vas A Olvidar, and the week after there’s a Jazz class to Big Spender!

Great for socialising

Another important aspect a lot of our student groups are keen to help out with is ensuring students get to socialise! Although virtual, it’s a great way to keep in touch with like-minded people and make new friends.

• Business Society – This term, they are hosting a variety of online events, including challenges and quizzes for members to take part in and the chance to win prizes.
• Marketing Society – The Marketing Society will be running online socials ranging from quizzes to online games. Some previous socials included playing games like Pictionary and Cards Against Humanity. Also, you can keep up with what’s going on through their Instagram page, where they post lots of interactive Instagram Stories so that members can stay involved in the society.
• Women’s Lacrosse – For members, they are holding fun Zoom socials, where freshers can get a chance to meet and speak to other members. Hopefully, they will be able to also start hosting sports classes soon!
• Canterbury Homeless Outreach – If you’re looking for a chance to volunteer, Canterbury Homeless Outreach are running outreaches to support the vulnerable homeless community. These outreaches are hosted a few times a week. Also, the society is organising a Shoebox event, and hopes to hold an online social this term over Microsoft Teams.
• Vegan Society – On the 5th, the Vegan Society will be hosting a social event in partnership with Amnesty International Society. They also have other events lined up for the rest of term which would be great to get involved with if you want to socialise!
• Religious Studies Society – To help you socialise during lockdown, the Religious Studies Society is holding socials on Wednesdays, with an upcoming crafting event for members.
• Books2Africa – In the next few weeks, this society will be hosting some online events for their volunteers to socialise. Their members are still able to volunteer in the warehouse, however at reduced numbers. They are looking for more volunteers, so if you’re interested in expanding your volunteering experience and meeting new people, this could be the perfect society for you!

Educational Events

Many academic groups are still working hard throughout lockdown to ensure students have lots of extra opportunities to advance their education and career prospects. There are plenty of interesting online events running which are great not only to keep you occupied, but also to enhance your CV!

• Kent Law Temple Society – Holding regular events with guest speakers, focusing on different aspects of a career at the bar. Their first session of the term takes place on the 4th of February at 6pm. They are also launching an advocacy skills course and competition!
• Kent Invest – Ever wanted to learn more about investing and financial services? Kent Invest is holding weekly sessions to teach members about financial markets. On the 2nd of March, they have an event running with guest speaker Jim Leaviss, “Britain’s best-known bond investor”.
• Kent Critical Law Society – Events are open to all students at Kent, not just society members! Upcoming events include an exclusive M&A masterclass with BCLP on the 10th February, and a Critical Law Conference on ‘Rhythms of Law’ on the 13th March.
• Kent Art Law Society – Alongside the Afro-Diasporic Legal Network, this society will be holding a Digital Art Exhibition, as well as a ‘Lockdown Art Competition’ with the Therapeutic Art Society.
• Economics – Every Tuesday from 6-7, the Economics Society is holding events! They have a careers event coming up soon which will help students with making the most out of University and building portfolios. They also run debates and games nights which are great for socialising in lockdown!
• Kent P.O.C.A.S (People Of Colour Arts Society) – This society is continuing to run workshops and events online catered towards building your skills. Some notable events include their weekly Creative Writing & Poetry session, and a meeting on the 9th of February to discuss Queer Representation in TV & Film.
• Physics (PhySoc) – PhySoc are holding a big online panel on Quantum Physics on the 9th of February, and have more talks to follow. Also, they will be hosting some chilled out socials soon!

Check out the Kent Union website for more ways to get involved. It’s not too late to sign up!

Here are some Study Plus events coming up this week. Courses are free to students registered on an existing Kent programme of study.

Mentoring by Kasia Senyszyn 10am – 11am Monday 8th February

Being a mentor helps you to develop leadership, communication, and organisational skills, as well as giving you the opportunity to advise others and share your expertise. This session will explore what it takes to be a mentor and how to improve your skills and experience. You will also learn how to support different people and develop your communication skills.

Understanding unconscious bias at work by Sal Pearman 2pm – 4.30pm Monday 8th February

In the session we will look at:

• What is unconscious bias?
• Understanding unconscious bias: the key principles and concepts
• Micro behaviours: assumptions, affirmations and aggressions
• Practical steps to mitigate against unconscious bias

Personal Presence and Impact by Ali Whelan 11am – 12pm Wednesday 10th February

To introduce the concept of positive personal presence and impact and how it can benefit career development. Students will come away;

• Understanding what we mean by personal presence and impact
• Knowing how to create a positive presence
• Understanding the role of authenticity for positive impact
• Recognising how personal presence and impact affects leadership potential

How to think like a Recruiter by Annie Gainsborough 1pm – 3pm Thursday 11th February

You can expect a complete breakdown of popular recruitment processes and how to succeed in them. Across the two hours, we combine our top tips of the trade with short activities. These include analysing job descriptions, playing the recruitment ‘game’, and improving how to articulate your top skills during an interview process.

Project management by Anne Marie Baker 10am -11.30am Friday 12th February

Projects are happening all around us and in the workplace, it is likely that you will find yourself either involved in a project or managing one. The aim of this course is to share some tools and approaches that will help you set-up and deliver your project successfully. Delivered online by an experienced project manager you will hear about real-life projects and what to do when things don’t quite go to plan. There will be opportunities to input into the course but this will be entirely optional.

Working in a Team By Kate Gardner 1.30pm – 3pm Friday 12th February

By the end of the session you will have:

• Identified the characteristics of a great team
• Explored the stages in team formation
• Examined the roles people play in teams
• Looked at things to do to encourage team performance

Since 2013 Freshfields, the international renowned Law firm, has provided the Stephen Lawrence Scholarship scheme to a handful of students each year. The aim of the scheme is to address the under-representation of black males in city careers and it provides mentoring opportunities, access to work experience, and a bursary to each cohort.

The University of Kent is privileged to take part in the scheme as a pilot university meaning we can submit applications for both Law and non Law students. Year on year, Kent has secured places for our students on the scheme. For 2020, following many covid delays, the Work-Study scheme is delighted to announce that we have yet again had two successful students awarded scholarships. A total of 68 students from universities all around the UK attended assessment centres both virtually and in person. 13 scholars were chosen, 9 Law students and 4 non Law students. Theo and Alex from Kent secured two of those four places maintaining Kent’s success with this programme. After a delayed start, Theo and Alex are now well into the swing of the programme.

Applications for the 2021 programme open imminently and the Work-Study team in partnership with Sheree Palmer look forward to helping to the next generation of Freshfields scholars.

It’s that time of year! Kent Student Union are now open for nominations and elections to their Student Networks!

Student Networks are student-led spaces where students who share an interest or identity can discuss issues relating to their group, and collectively work on events and campaigns to build a community of students and make change to your student experience and beyond. Networks exist to represent and act as the voice for all defining students, to feedback key issues that affect their student experience to both the University and Kent Union, and to lead campaigns to affect positive change for students at Kent and beyond.  

Students can get involved with running this student network, by standing in this election to become part of this student network team.

Each network is led by a team of up to five elected students, with a designated chair who is a member of the Union Executive Committee.  

If you are interested in running for the network teams then you can nominate yourself here.