Happy Pride Month! At Kent, we stand for Pride and will be marking the month in a number of ways, including sponsoring Pride Canterbury and also Pride Medway later in August. Find out how you can join the Canterbury and Medway Pride events:

Pride Canterbury, 10-11 June

Pride Canterbury is this weekend! Pride Canterbury is a spectacular celebration of LGBTQ+ identity in the heart of Canterbury. You don’t need a ticket to attend Pride Canterbury, but if you’d like to join the University of Kent section of the Pride March, you’ll need a free wristband which can be picked up from the Gulbenkian on Thursday and Friday (first come first served). **change to pick up times** Thursday: 12:30-14:00 and Friday 12:00-13:30. The parade is followed by live entertainment with food and drink in Dane John Gardens.

Pride Medway, 19 August

Join Medway’s biggest LGBTQ+ Pride event, Pride Medway, on Saturday 19 August. You need to register for a free ticket if you want entry into Rochester Castle Gardens where performances will take place. You can register for up to four free tickets through the Eventbrite link (select ‘get tickets’ and then scroll down to ‘Medway Pride 2023. Rochester Castle Fest. Student’).

Make sure you book your ticket before July as any leftover student tickets will then be released to the general public. If you realise you can’t attend the event, please return your ticket to Eventbrite so it can be redistributed.

There will also be a Universities at Medway section of the Medway Pride March. Look out for more information on this soon.

The last Santander Universities prize draw was so popular that they’re back with another! This time, there are 10 iPad Pro tablets up for grabs. These prize draws have been designed to help enhance your university experience and make sure you have the tools you need to succeed.

All students can enter including undergraduates, postgraduates, part-time and full-time students. Even those graduating in a few weeks are eligible!

To enter you need to visit the Santander Scholarships website. If you’re not already registered, you’ll need to sign up for an account. After registering you’ll get a confirmation email and then you can enter the prize draw. On 13 July, once applications close, Santander will select 10 students at random for the winners.

Enter now for your chance to win.

There’s lots going on at Kent this summer to help support your wellbeing. Check out our #UniKentWellbeing summer courses and workshops below, and have a look at the Student Support and Wellbeing events calendar to find out which of your regular groups are ongoing throughout the vacation.

😁 Self-confidence – online course Thursdays 15 June to 13 July, 14:00 – 15:30.

Join one of our counsellors in a small group setting to learn how to confront your inner critic and control your relationship with your thoughts.

✍️ Writing for wellbeing workshops – Tuesdays 27 June and 18 July, 14:00 – 15:00

A simple and rewarding way to connect with ourselves and play with creative writing as a means of self-expression. No writing experience needed!

🌱 Positive mental health workshops – Wednesday 21 June 14:30-16:00 and Sunday 9 July 11:00-12:30

What constitutes good mental health? We will discuss five ingredients that are foundations for evaluating progress in taking care of your mental wellbeing

🤝 Self-compassion group – Tuesdays 25 July to 15 August, 14:00 – 14:30

Learn techniques for showing yourself and others compassion, as well as how to cope with feeling overwhelmed, distressed and self-harming behaviours.

🔀 Managing change – online workshop – Monday 7 August, 10:00 – 11:00

Explore how to cope with common feelings surrounding change such as fear and disappointment and how to effectively manage change in a healthy way.

👣 Walk and talk – every Tuesday, 14:00-15:00

Let’s go for a walk where we can talk and explore. Led by mental health advisers, these sessions will run throughout the summer break.

Need more help or support for your wellbeing?

We’re still here for you during the summer vacation. Check out the Student Support and Wellbeing webpages to find out how to get in touch with us, and about accessing 24/7 support from our partner organisations wherever you are, whenever you need it. You can also find us on Instagram @UniKentSSW

Calling all painters, photographers, writers and artists! 

Are you a hobby artist? Do you love to paint and draw? Are you a photographer or a digital artist? 

Are you proud of your Windrush heritage? 

Did you grow up listening to stories from your parents, grandparents or great grandparents about what life in Britain was like for the sons and daughters of the Windrush? 

Do you want the opportunity to share those memories? 

Get involved in the Windrush exhibition

In honour of the 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Landing, and in preparation for Black History Month 2023, the #Black365 group is asking for students and staff who grew up listening to stories about the Windrush to contribute a piece of art, poetry, writing or video about their thoughts, views and memories of their families relationship with the Windrush, and with post-Windrush Britain. 

It could be an emotion or oral history expressed in paint, a linocut of the view of Tilbury Docks, a digital collage of photo’s, a recipe brought over by your grandparents the lyrics of a lullaby sung to you by your grandparents, a piece of music played at your parent’s wedding, a video of the stories your grandparents told you, absolutely anything that you think helps to embody the significance of the Windrush generation and the ongoing experiences of being Black in Britain throughout the 1950s, 60s 70s and beyond.  

All submissions will form part of an exhibition that will be hosted in Keynes College and online throughout October 2023. Any staff member or student (including those due to graduate in summer 2023) are welcome to contribute to the exhibition.  

Submission requirements

The only requirements are the following 

• Each piece must be able to be wall hung or be able to be uploaded to a virtual exhibition space 
• Each piece must reflect either your personal, family, or Black community experience of being part of the Windrush generation 
• Each piece must be completed by and with us, ready for installation, on Monday 11 September 
• The artist/contributor should have some personal connection to the Windrush or post-Windrush Britain 

If you have an existing work of art that you feel meets the brief then please feel free to submit that as your piece of art. The University will reimburse up to £20 per person for cost of materials.  

Interested? Get in touch

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Becky Lamyman on R.S.Lamyman@kent.ac.uk for the submission form ASAP or by the 10 June 2023. 

For more information, or if you have any queries, please get in contact with Becky.

PG Summer runs from June to August and is a series of events for our postgraduate students to make friends, enjoy the sun and learn new skills over the summer at Kent.

PG Summer launches with the GRC Annual Postgraduate Conference on Wednesday 7 June in Sibson. The conference provides a platform for postgraduate researchers across various disciplines to showcase their research, share ideas and network with fellow researchers.

Each month of PG Summer has a different theme. June will focus on your career, July will be all about having fun and August will look at supporting your wellbeing. Between 5-9 June, the Careers and Employability Service and running a wide range of events for their Postgraduate Week, a week of careers workshops to support you in your next steps after your Master’s or PhD.

Events at PG Summer are aimed at postgraduate students, but all students are welcome to join any of the social events. So if you’re an undergrad staying on campus over summer, you’re still very welcome to come along and meet new friends!

Find out what’s on for PG Summer.

Are you looking to earn some money this summer?

Kent’s Catering Team are currently seeking warm, positive people with bags of energy to help out over the busy summer season.

Ideal candidates must be reliable, punctual, and possess excellent communication skills. They should have a friendly and approachable personality, with the ability to work well in a fast-paced, high-energy environment.

If you’re looking to start a career in hospitality, or just want to learn new skills while you study, this could be the perfect job for you!

Responsibilities will include:

• Greeting customers and taking orders
• Serving food and drinks in a timely and efficient manner
• Ensuring a clean and organised dining/kitchen area
• Handling payments

Candidates must be available to work flexible hours (possibly including evenings and weekends), throughout the summer season. Prior experience is not necessary, but it is desirable.

How to apply

If you’re interested in applying for this role (Food & Beverage Assistant), please send your CV, along with a potential start date, to catering@kent.ac.uk

Flexible casual contract with a total hourly rate equal to £7.83 – £10.89p/h (depending on age),

Application deadline: Friday 16 June 2023

What is Too Good to Go?

Too Good to Go is an app designed to reduce food waste. Cafes, shops and restaurants upload their excess food as a ‘Magic bag’, which you can then buy through the app at a reduced rate, and collect that evening. This means you can save food from going to waste and save money.

How much does the food cost through the app?

You can get a Magic bag’ from the Co-op plaza shop which has £10+ worth of food (chilled items as well as some fruit, veg and bakery items) for just £3.34.

In the Gulbenkian, you can buy a ‘Magic bag’ of deli food (sandwiches, cakes, pastries etc) for £3.95 that has a value of £10+.

Watch Kent Union President Zaid talk us through Too Good to Go.

By being signed up with Too Good To Go, we can reduce food waste while also providing low cost food.

See more cost of living support for students.

There’s still time to be involved in the GRC’s Annual Postgraduate Conference, as both and audience member and in the many opportunities to share all your hard work with fellow students across the University.

Ways to share your research

As well as listening to guest speakers, a Kent Research Institute panel and a timely discussion on the impact of AI on academia, there are plenty of ways to present your own work. Can you sum up your research in one image? In one poster? In ten minutes? How about three?

If you can sum up your research in one image, why not enter our photo competition? Or display your work in poster form? If you’re looking for an engaged interdisciplinary audience for your work, why not apply for our research talks.

Deadlines to apply:

• Photo competition – 29 May, 16:59
• Poster competition – 22 May, 16:59
• Research talks – 22 May, 16:59

Who can sign up?

This event is for all postgraduate students at Kent and undergraduates interested in postgraduate research are welcome to attend as audience members. Sign up is open now, register to attend.

The GRC Annual Postgraduate Conference 2023 takes place on 7 June in the Sibson Building on our Canterbury campus. Registration is now open.

What is the GRC Annual Postgraduate Conference all about?

This conference provides a platform for postgraduate researchers across various disciplines to showcase their research, share ideas, and network with fellow researchers. We have guest speaker Dave Thomas talking about EDI, all three Kent Research Institutes presenting a panel, a hot topic discussion about AI by a postgraduate panel and numerous ways to get involved and present your own research to the wider PG community. See the full conference programme. 

Share your research at the conference

If you can sum up your research in one photographic image, why not enter our photo competition? Or display your work in poster form? If you’re looking for an engaged interdisciplinary audience for your work, why not apply for our research talks. And if you can cram your research into just 3 minutes, enter the national competition that does just that.  

Who can join?

This event is for all postgraduate students at Kent and undergraduates interested in postgraduate research are welcome to attend as audience members. Sign up is open now, register to attend.  

The importance of prioritising wellbeing in academia cannot be overstated. Recognising this, the Graduate and Researcher College (GRC) has launched a Postgraduate Research Wellbeing Webinar Series to help support the wellbeing of our research community.

The series is open to PGR students and those who are considering postgraduate study.

The series is designed to provide students with practical tools and strategies to help them manage stress, increase resilience, and improve their overall wellbeing. This can also include learning to recognise the signs of burnout, setting boundaries, and seeking help when needed. The webinars cover a range of topics, including mindfulness, self-care, stress management, and more, all led by experts in the field.

The benefits of these webinars go beyond just academic success. They also help students develop a better understanding of their own mental health and wellbeing, and provide them with tools to take care of themselves not only during their postgraduate studies, but throughout their lives.

The PGR Wellbeing Webinar Series are accessible and flexible. The webinars are delivered online, making it easy for participants to attend from anywhere. Additionally, the sessions are recorded and made available for later viewing, allowing participants to access the content at a time that is convenient for them.

Join our experts Gareth Hughes and Dominique Thompson in the upcoming live sessions,

Good Wellbeing and Good Research: Myths, Challenges and Evidence Webinar with Gareth Hughes, Wednesday 31 May,  13:00

Staying Well in Difficult Times- Top Tips for PGRs with Dominique Thompson, Wednesday 14 June, 14:00

The Wellbeing Webinar Series is an excellent resource for individuals who are looking to enhance their mental health and wellbeing. By providing tools, strategies, and a supportive community, the series empowers individuals to prioritize their wellbeing and succeed in their academic careers.