St Andrews' Christmas Coffee and Cake
The wardennial team of one of the University of St Andrews halls of residence opened their doors to their neighbours for festive coffee and cake on Sunday 8 December 2020.
The first event of its kind in recent years, the session at University Hall saw some fifteen local residents meet over thirty residential students and their hall’s Warden and Assistant Warden.
An afternoon of warm drinks, delicious cakes, and free-flowing conversation proved a big hit and the team are already planning more sessions to bring residents and their student neighbours together.
Other halls across the University are looking to run similar sessions in 2020, with planning underway for Burns Night celebrations as well as Cheese and Wine evenings.
The Big Hoolie!
Celebrations took place throughout St Andrews on the weekend of the 30 November 2019 as the town marked the day of its namesake.
The ‘Big Hoolie’, organised by BID St Andrews in association with the Student Association began with a market at Madras College, with stalls, music and more. Several University Societies hosted activity tables, including Christmas card decoration and Christmas biscuit decoration.
In the evening, thousands of people put on their dancing shoes to take part in the huge outdoor ceilidh. Following that, a torch-lit procession led a crowd down to West Sands, where fireworks lit up the famous beach.
Community Relations Week at St. Andrews
St Andrews Community Relations Week is organised by the Community Relations Subcommittee at the University of St Andrews Students' Association.
2019 is the second year that this week of events has been organised for everyone in St Andrews. Lots of different societies got involved; there was a Sex Education for all workshop ran by Sexpression, an evening of art with Art Soc, a Charity Christmas dinner organised by a group of 6 societies, a wine and cheese night with the local community councillors, an alumni coffee morning with a local charity, and then the week culminated with the Big Hoolie for St Andrews Day. The week is about bringing the community together and showing how we can work together in the future to make our town great!
Handy Helpers at Queen's Student Union
Handy Helpers is a unique volunteering initiative which responds to the current needs of the local community through a diverse range of one-off volunteering activities, such as community gardening, litter-picks, supporting local residents’ community projects and assisting local charities with one-off projects. The initiative is a great way for students, who do not have the time to make a regular commitment to volunteering, to develop skills, establish new friendships, increase confidence and improve their well-being whilst actively supporting their local community.
The programme aims to encourage civic participation, improve social cohesion and enable students and communities to create positive change within the local area and beyond. Handy Helpers efforts create a nicer place to live by improving the immediate environment of those living, studying and working in Belfast. The activities facilitate positive interactions between students, long-term residents and community organisations, helping to create a more cohesive local community and a culture of mutual respect and understanding. The initiative energises local student and non-student residents to take ownership and pride in the area and fosters a true sense of belonging.
For more information please click on the links below:
The Handy Helpers Impact Report is now available on this link - http://go.qub.ac.uk/HHImpactReport18-19
The Handy Helpers general student page is http://go.qub.ac.uk/HandyHelpers
A global approach to town-gown relations
Modern day tensions between communities and students are not new, but a collaborative initiative that bestrides international borders thinks it can drive fresh progress.
The origins of town-gown relations date back to the middle ages. Perhaps most notably, the Battle of St Scholastica Day on 10 February 1355 at the University of Oxford saw a two-day riot break out as the result of disagreement between the townsfolk and gownsfolk at a local tavern.
Despite being steeped in history, the concept of ‘town and gown’ is less understood by the wider higher education sector than you might imagine. For reference, then, the ‘town’ is the non-academic population of a locality, and ‘gown’ is the university community.
As universities continue to expand, so do the off-campus communities where students reside. There are numerous positives, such as the opportunity for growth of talent and the capability to enhance the local community. Campus community collaborations also provide support for lifelong learning from the ‘classroom of the world’ which sits outside academia.
In reality, despite these opportunities, the meeting of such distinct communities often creates a number of challenges. This requires sensitively handled efforts and dedicated resources to work towards a cohesive environment, in order to offer support to all who live there.
For the full article, click on the link below:
A global approach to town-gown relations
UKTGA & Student Accommodation Conference 2019
The 12th annual Student Accommodation Conference & Awards, organised by Property Week events, returns on Wednesday 11 December 2019 at the InterContinental London – The O2.
The Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) asset class is maturing and evolving in an operating environment where student well-being, affordability and access to technology are paramount. The right insights and connections will be key to harnessing opportunities and navigating the challenges ahead, making this year’s Student Accommodation Conference a must attend event!
Connect with the most influential figures from the PBSA sector and beyond, including notable operators, investors, developers, universities and higher-education thought leaders.
Our UKTGA Chair, Cooper Healey, has been invited to deliver a session addressing both the possible implications and benefits of the increased number of PBSA being built to accommodate the increasing number of young people deciding to go to University.
For more information, or to book tickets, please click here.
What is Studentification?
The term studentification was coined and defined by Professor Darren Smith as ‘contradictory social, cultural, economic and physical changes resulting from an influx of students within privately- rented accommodation in particular neighbourhoods’. Since then, it has been used in both the media and academic papers across the UK.
Adopting the term studentification has provided a valuable framework for policy makers, universities and other stakeholders across the globe to find more effective ways of integrating students into the physical and social fabric of university towns and cities.
Professor Smith is fascinated by the formation of new social and economic geographies that are giving rise to more exclusive, segregated, and transient societies. The term studentification conceptualises the processes of change within university towns and cities tied to the growth of student populations and the expansion of higher education. To date, Professor Smith has researched studentification in UK, Ireland, North America, Australia and China.
The Studentification Guide for North America has been a pivotal publication in addressing the key issues surrounding the impact of students living in University towns and cities.
Queen's University Belfast is planting one million trees as part of a new Conservation initiative!
Have you heard of the One Million Trees for Belfast Project? 🌳😊
The One Million Trees for Belfast Project is a joint initiative between residents from Sans Souci Park and students from Queen’s University Belfast.
Over the past month, Queen's University Belfast students 👩🎓 and staff 👩🏫, The Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland and volunteers from Sans Souci Residents' Association collected acorns and seeds🌾🌿, raised garden beds 🌷 and made paths in Lennoxvale Tree Nursery, just off the Malone road. The tree nursery will provide local wildlife 🐝🐜 with a home and will produce 1,000 trees 🌱🌳 over the next 2 years that will be donated towards the One Million Trees for Belfast Project! 😎
We look forward to many more opportunities for closer working with our neighbours.
Today we are officially launching the tree nursery so watch this space for updates on the progress! 📈
Check out this video to get a little insight into what this project is all about!
https://www.facebook.com/QUBSUVolunteering/videos/472469716705957/