April alumni newsletter 2022
Welcome to April’s alumni newsletter. Tradition may tell us to watch out for April showers, but we’re looking forward to sunnier days ahead.
In March, we celebrated International Women’s Day with a week of posts celebrating our alumnae, welcomed honorary graduate Stuart Murphy to campus to help students, held a fantastic webinar with comedian Alasdair Beckett-King, and hosted our inaugural Cordukes Circle for the university’s top supporters.
This April, we can’t wait to host our penultimate webinar with alumnus Daniel Fleming, and mark religious celebrations like Ramadan, Passover and Easter. In office, we’ll also begin working on the 2022/23 annual magazine and begin asking you to update your details to make sure we post it to the correct address.
A month for religious observances
April’s a busy month for three religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. At the start of the month, Muslims around the world began Ramadan, on 15 April the world’s Jewish community will mark the start of Passover and on 17 April, Christians will mark Easter Sunday.
- Find out more about what Ramadan is and how to support those fasting on our website
- Learn more about Passover and how it’s celebrated via BBC Bitesize
- Discover more about Easter and why we have Easter eggs via BBC Bitesize
We know that Easter eggs are tied to Easter, but we also know that fancy chocolate is something that lots of people can enjoy, especially when it’s reduced after Easter! So here are a few links you might find useful:
- Good House Keeping have tested 135 Easter eggs to tell us which ones are best in a range of categories, including best budget egg and best egg for sharing.
- BBC goodfood have over 40 recipes for what to do with your leftover easter chocolate for those that can’t eat them all!
- For anyone looking for an indulgent treat, make a hot chocolate using leftover easter chocolate using BBC goodfood’s easy recipe.
Wonderful webinars
Last month we hosted Alasdair Beckett-King’s fantastically funny webinar. Including advice on how to deal with ‘death on stage’ (when no-one laughs), how a career in comedy can accelerate almost by accident and much more, make sure to watch his webinar to find out more about the world of comedy. Plus, listen to one of the BIGGEST mispronunciations from our webinars so far!
This month we’re hosting our penultimate webinar with recent alumnus Daniel Fleming. From York to the USA, Daniel will be talking about why he decided to move around the world, his current work as a postgraduate PhD student and how to find community in a new country. Find out more about Dan and book your place on our penultimate webinar now:
Book your place now on Eventbrite.
Upcoming events
Thinking about attending some more live events? York St John is hosting a range of exciting events in the next few months which might be of interest:
Have you ever been unsettled or horrified by children’s TV?
Join us on Saturday 21 May for Horrifying Children: Hauntology and the Legacy of Children’s Fictions. This fascinating, free symposium will include papers, creative reflections, and a screening of The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972). Find out more and book your free place now via Eventbrite.
What made you hide behind the sofa?
The children who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s were placed in the unenviable position of being scared by virtually everything. Join Liverpool writers Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence (the men behind the superb Scarred For Life books) as they explore the TV, films, music, comics, board games, books and adverts that haunt a generation. From Doctor Who’s giant spiders to the ending of Blake 7, with a pitstop by the horrifying public information films, find out more and buy your ticket via Eventbrite.
What does ‘self’ mean to you?
Join the Institute for Social Justice as they bring together dance, film and photography to explore the lived experience of mental health and its impact on selfhood. Hosted in the Creative Centre on Tuesday 5 July, find out more and book your free place via Eventbrite.
Free teacher education conference
On Monday 20 June make sure to attend the free YSJ Teacher Education Diversity and Inclusion Conference. Including keynote speakers, community groups, local schools and more, learn more about anti-racist and decolonial practice. This will be a fantastic opportunity for teachers and those working in educational settings to learn more about best practise for diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
Alumni careers
Thinking about postgraduate study? Make sure to pop along to our next postgraduate open evening on 11 May to find out more about postgraduate study at York St John. Plus, as one of our alumni, you’re entitled to at least 10% off most postgraduate courses. Find out more about your full range of alumni benefits on our webpages.
Looking for your next role? Here are three articles to help from Prospects:
- Which 7 CV mistakes to afford to improve your CV
- How to prepare for your interview
- Wondering what sort of jobs you could be applying for with your degree? Learn what jobs you could apply for
- How to write a successful job application
- How to write a personal statement (with examples)
York St John Communities Centre (YSJCC)
Last month was World Sleep Day, so the fantastic team at York St John Communities Centre have posted an informative blog about why a good night’s sleep is so important, and tips for having a good night’s rest more frequently. You can read their blog post in full on their blog.
YSJCC also provide low-cost counselling services, available over the phone, online or in person. Thanks to their accessible sliding fee scale, each session costs between £10 and £50 depending on your income. Their services can help with a range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, relationship problems and bereavement. Find out more about their counselling services on their webpages.
Cordukes Circle
Last month we held our first Cordukes Circle event. Cordukes members were invited to this special event to thank them for their continued support of York St John. This included those who support us through regular, long term donations, those who have donated their time, and those who have pledged to leave York St John a gift in their will.
We were delighted to give them insights into our York St John community, including talks from postgraduate students, the president of Wellbeing and Diversity for the Student’s Union and a guided tour of campus.
To find out more about how you can support our university and our students, please see our webpages.
Ripon 1350: 28 April – 2 May 2022
Ripon Cathedral is turning 1350! For any of our alumni who studied in Ripon, the cathedral was a part of college life. For our alumni who studied in York or London, this is the perfect time to visit Ripon and experience its rich history.
Ripon Cathedral’s launch weekend is a fantastic chance to explore another small Yorkshire city, experience its fantastic culture and learn more about its history.
During their launch weekend, you could:
- Go on a guided cathedral tour
- Go to various talk from Ripon Cathedral experts, including about the cathedral’s archaeology
- Attend a fantastic light show
- Visit Ripon Cathedral beer festival
Find out more about this fantastic weekend of events celebrating Ripon Cathedral on their website.
A lot to blog about
Last month we celebrated our alumnae with a week of posts for International Women’s Day. From an exploration of who our first ever alumna was, to how much life has (and hasn’t) changed for our alumnae, we hope you enjoyed reading about the history of women at York St John.
We also enjoyed talking to recent graduate Eleanor about her time at York St John and how it positively impacted her successful art business.
You can read all of our posts for International Women’s Day 2022 on our blog.
