Have you booked your tickets yet for events during our ‘Belong and Grow – it’s your BAG’ week, taking place from 13 May? We have received a great response, but there are still some places available.

The aim of the week is to celebrate diversity, promote wellbeing and encourage learning for all staff and students. The week encompasses EDI and Mental Health awareness, Learning at Work week, Deaf awareness week, International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and the staff networks.

We are confident that there is something for everyone – ‘it’s your BAG’.

Have a look at the full timetable, which shows all of the events. We have 40 bookable events, which can be booked through Eventbrite.

Follow all the latest BAG news through our Social Media sites (Twitter: UoKLDev, Instagram: unikentlearndev) and join in the conversation. #bagweek

Current students and graduates from the last three years can now apply for up to £3000 to take their start-up business ideas forward.

Through the EIRA project, this microfinance opportunity supports innovative start-ups in their earliest stages, helping to get ideas developed and tested. Applicants must produce a short video pitch (up to 3 minutes) and submit a written application too, the deadline for applications will be midnight on Sunday 30 June. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to pitch to a review panel in the summer.

What is EIRA Microfinance?

EIRA are providing £3000 seed funding to students who have businesses or starting-up businesses. Th funding is provided by EIRA to help accelerate your business, their aim is to help start-ups to progress.

How do I enter?

You will need to fill out the application form attached. where you will answer key questions about your business.

You will need to submit a three minute video pitch, which introduces us to your business. The video should be submitted privately so ensure if you do it on YouTube that you make it as a private video as to prevent public view.

Criteria

The scheme is available to current students or graduates within the last 3 years of all EIRA partner institutions.

The student must have started a business that has a business bank account. EIRA Microfinance Grants can only be paid into a business bank account.

Applicants will have to demonstrate their right to work in the UK

Applications relating to the EIRA themes of Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology and Digital Creative, or where there is potential for the business to grow in the East of England, will be prioritised for funding.

SAGA, a company that has become the leading provider of products and services for people over the age of 65, recently engaged with the University’s Hub for Innovation & enterprise through its #InnovateIT competition via its #DigitalReboot programme, supported by Santander Universities.

A launch event was held on 13 February where Saga colleagues gave an overview of the business and the challenge at hand.  Hub Business Advisor, Paul Swaddle OBE of Pocket APP, gave an insight into how tech is currently developing and how it’s being adopted by industry at present.

They offered a £600 prize to the student individual or team who could come up with the most innovative way of using the tech of tomorrow.Students were then given 23 days to think, mind map and research their selected tech.

On 27 March, judges Emily Gardener, Leanne Brown and Simon Godfrey of SAGA, Paul Swaddle of Pocket APP and Kevin Bardwell of Santander Universities,  gathered in the Canterbury Innovation Centre, ready to make the final judgement.The three finalists teams included Hazim Abdusada & Huma Razzaq, Rebecca Humphries and Teniola Etti, who were equipped with a ten-minute pitch waited for their chance to convince the judges.

All the finalists were calm and confident and did exceedingly well at presenting their ideas. What was clear, after the pitches, was that the judges had a hard decision to make. The winner of the £600 of Amazon Vouchers was Teniola Etti, whose idea had convinced the judges that his tech was credible, possible and the most impactful submission. The runner-ups were Huma and Hazim and Rebecca.

Our thanks to the work of the finalists, SAGA, Santander Universities and the University of Kent.

The Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies hosted the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (TRAC) at the University of Kent 11-14 April.

The conference was designed to be an arena for open discussion of archaeological theory in Roman archaeology and brought together voices from a range of levels and fields such as early-career academics, postgraduates, and industry.

Dr David Walsh, Lecturer in Classical and Archaeological Studies and a member of the local organising committee, said: “With over 150 people from across the globe making their way to Canterbury to take part, there was a really diverse array of presenters, sessions, posters and papers. Some big questions were asked about how Roman archaeology moves forward as a discipline, particularly concerning how we tackle issues of representation, how it is perceived by the general public, and what role we can play when it comes to issues such as Global Warming. We’re really grateful to support given to the conference by the School of European Culture and Languages and the Kent Opportunity Fund, as well as our student volunteers who did a great job.”

TRAC 2019 Organising Committee:

• Chair: Philip Smither, English Heritage/University of Kent
• Vice-Chair: Karl Goodwin, University of Kent
• Sophie Chavarria, University of Kent
• Dr Jay Ingate, Canterbury Christchurch University
• Dr Jo Stoner, University of Kent
• Dr David Walsh, University of Kent

Burger & Business was a University of Kent-funded initiative coordinated and led by the #DigitalReboot student ambassadors for the 2018-19 academic year. Maisie Galea and Hazel Frost organised the series of events with the intention of creating an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and come up with possible business ventures. While they were leading the sessions at the Canterbury campus at Mungo’s Bar, Ayomide Alli led the events in the Medway campus at The Deep End.

All students were invited to come to the meet-ups to achieve one of the goals for Burger & Business, whether this was meeting a possible co-founder for a business, sharing and learning about other people’s business ideas, or sharing and listening to business experiences – plus, of course, to enjoy a free burger meal.

Success stories include one group who came to the event in need of a website for a product they were selling. After socialising with another student at the meet-up who had the technical abilities to develop a website for them, they also met a student photographer who was willing to help advertise their product. It was evident that students were both satisfied with their meal as well as the company they were surrounded by at the event, making it another successful addition to the #DigitalReboot program!

Kent Sport is challenging students to ‘Design our Space’ for a chance to boost their creative portfolio and win some fabulous prizes.

What is the space?

One of our squash courts has become a multi-use sports facility for a variety of activities including martial arts and boxing. Kent Sport would like you to creatively enhance the space to provide an inspiring and enjoyable experience for the students who will use it. You have four walls as your blank canvas to unleash your imagination on; show us what you can do!

Who is the competition open to?

The competition is open to all University of Kent students.

Judging and prizes

A panel of judges will review all submissions and select the best design. The winning participant will be able to transform the space and see their design in use and will receive a £300 Amazon voucher and a meal for two at the Pavilion Café Bar. The runner up will receive a £150 Amazon voucher. Five random entries will receive a Kent Sport goody bag including a £10 Amazon voucher.

When does the competition close?

The competition will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 5 June 2019.

How do I get started?

So if you want to kickstart your creative career or just rise to this exciting challenge, visit our website for further details including terms and conditions and start brainstorming your ideas!

www.kent.ac.uk/sports/designourspace

If you have any queries and to submit your artwork, email us on sportsenquiries@kent.ac.uk.

#DesignOurSpace

Sophia Labadi, Senior Lecturer in Heritage and Archaeology, has launched a call for participants for a workshop on ‘World Heritage and Sustainable Development in Africa: Implementing the 2015 Policy’, a collaboration between the African World Heritage Fund, the University of Kent, the University of Cape Town and Robben Island World Heritage Site.

The workshop will take place at the Robben Island World Heritage Site, South Africa, 19 – 23 August 2019. Deadline for the submission of abstracts is 30 April 2019.

The workshop aims to discuss ways to operationalise declarations and recommendations relating to the implementation of AU Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at and around World Heritage sites in Africa. The workshop also aims to find ways to implement the 2015 UNESCO Policy Document for the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective into the Processes of the World Heritage Convention. The objectives of the workshop are:

• To discuss the best implementation practices and principles on World Heritage conservation and sustainable development in Africa (primarily through the 2015 Policy and AU Agenda 2063)
• To identify successful ways in which integrated approaches between the pillars of sustainable development have been implemented at World Heritage sites in Africa
• To identify best practices and challenges in using heritage protection and management to address different SDGs in Africa
• To identify best practices in sustainable and adaptive reuses of heritage towards building modelling mechanisms on the implementation of the 2015 Policy
• To discuss performance indicators, methods and means for monitoring the localisation of the SDGs in Africa
• To encourage dialogue and strengthen inter-sectoral/interdisciplinary forum on balancing conservation and sustainable development at and around World Heritage sites in Africa.

For further information and queries please contact Pascall Taruvinga at pascallt@robbenisland.org.za (Robben Island Museum) or Albino Jopela at JopsJ@dbsa.org (African World Heritage Fund).

Image © Ute Langkafel from Heiner Müller, Hamletmachine, dir. Sebastian Nübling, Gorki Exil Ensemble, prem. 24 Feb. 2018

Dr Margherita Laera, Senior Lecturer in Drama in the School of Arts, and Professor Peter Boenisch from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, are organising a conference entitled ‘Performing Multilingualism in Europe and Beyond: Migration, Globalisation, Utopia’ with the participation of Gintersdorfer / Klassen and Maxim-Gorki-Theater, Berlin. The conference will feature Professor Yana Meerzon (University of Ottawa) as keynote speaker, and will be hosted by the School of Arts on Friday 13 September 2019.

In an increasingly inter-connected world characterised by flows of people, goods and capital, multilingualism has become a feature in many social environments, highlighting the importance of translation in human communication. Whether enforced by financial waves, mass movement, tourism, education systems or colonialism, speaking multiple languages has become a feature of increasing importance in our societies. How do theatre and performance makers deal with multilingualism?

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Multilingualism in rehearsals
• Multilingualism and performers
• Multilingualism and dramaturgy
• Multilingualism and audiences
• Classifications and new trends of multilingual performance
• Multilingualism and ideology
• Multilingualism and migration
• Multilingualism and post-colonialism
• Multilingualism and/as Utopia/Dystopia

The organisers invite the submission of 300-word proposals for 20-minute papers by 6 May 2019. Please send your proposals to: performingmultilingualism@gmail.com

You can find out more about the conference on the School of Arts webpages

The Centre for English and World Languages runs an intensive CELTA training course starting on 17 June. CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an internationally recognised qualification. Find out more.

Have a go at journalism or plan your career with a FREE Study Plus course this term.

Journalism (KE044)

Study Plus and the Centre for Journalism are running a free journalism course from 10th – 14th June. If you’re thinking of journalism as a career, you want to add a Year in Journalism to your degree, or you are considering doing a Master’s in Multimedia Journalism, this course is for you.

The course offers an intensive immersion in the basic principles and practices of journalism in the multimedia age. You will learn what professional journalists do and how they do it. You will experience the pressure and pleasure of making real journalism to real deadlines under professional leadership.

The course is taught at the Centre for Journalism on the Medway campus, but is open to all Kent students (UG and PG). You can catch the free shuttle bus from Canterbury campus to Medway (you need to book this online)

Postgraduate Career Toolkit (KE163)

This two-hour session, delivered by the Careers and Employability Service, will help you explore the careers options open to you after you finish your postgrad studies and help you on your way to your chosen career. Book your place via the Workshops page in SDS.

For more information, please visit the Study Plus website.