August alumni newsletter
Welcome to your August alumni newsletter! It’s been another busy month at York St John and for your alumni team.
On campus, we’ve welcomed prospective students, won a design award and watched the progress of the transformation of the old sports hall in Foss. Once the home of onsite sports, it will soon be the home of our nursing and paramedic courses!
We’ve also had a busy time working on your alumni magazine, asking for your feedback about Old Johns and welcoming a new team member to our office. We’ll be reintroducing our Alumni Office in this year’s magazine, but for now, please join us as we welcome our new Fundraising and Projects Officer, Sally, to York St John!
We’ve also just finished asking the Class of 2022 for their graduation pin badge designs. We’ve received an exciting range of designs which we can’t wait to share with you after shortlisting.
Choosing your summer read
If you’re looking for your next summer read, why not look at the book reviews on our library website? Written by students and staff, you might just discover your new favourite!
If you’ve already got a book in mind, but you’re dreading seeing how much it costs, have you looked for it in your local library? Most local libraries also have access to a wide range of eBooks for free. They often also run summer activities for younger members of the family, have DVDs to rent and internet access.
- If you live in North Yorkshire, you can find your local library and learn more about their services on the County Council website.
- You can find out more about Explore York libraries on their website
- If you live in Leeds, find out more about your local libraries and their services
- If you don’t know who runs your local library, you can search for information on the .GOV website
Alumni book signing
We always love to celebrate the success of our alumni! At 1pm on Saturday 10 September, join York St John alumnus Jack Linley at Waterstones in York for his book signing. Published as Jack Sheffield, Jack will be signing copies of the final book in his beloved Teacher series.
After completing his studies in 1967, Jack spent his working life as a teacher, only finding the time to write after retiring! Inspired by his own experiences as a teacher in his fifteen book long series, Jack will soon be drawing on his experiences in York in his current work in progress about a fictional university in York.
You can find out more about Jack, his books and his book signing on his website.
A lot to blog about
With the warmer weather we know it seems like the perfect time to revisit your old campus! That’s why we’ve put together a few blogs with family friendly ideas of what to do during your next reunion.
We know the appeal of visiting some of your old haunts and enjoying a tipple, but if you’re looking to do something a bit different, why not give one of these ideas a go?
- Learn about five ‘hidden’ gems for your next York reunion
- Read about five things to do during your next reunion in York
- Read about five things to do during your next reunion in Ripon
Reunion fun
Over the next few weeks, we’re excited to welcome a few different groups back to campus. From smaller reunions to a weekend extravaganza organised on the popular CRYSJ Facebook group, we can’t wait to see you all!
If you’re part of a York reunion, here are a few links you might find useful:
- If you’re driving, beat the parking charges and inner ring road queues by using the Park and Ride
- Find out more about parking in the city centre
- Learn what’s on in York and nearby on the VisitYork website
- Beat the queues and book somewhere to eat by browsing VisitYork’s directory
- If you want to indulge in some retail therapy, find out more about some of York’s independent businesses on VisitYork’s website
Ripon reunion call out
We love to hear about your reunions and to help where we can! We recently heard from a Ripon alumna looking to reconnect with her cohort for their 50th anniversary of starting their courses.
If you started your course in September 1972 at Ripon, did you know there’s a reunion on 2 September 2022? Celebrating 50 years since the start of your cohort’s course, this will be a great chance to reconnect and reminisce.
The reunion starts with a £10 buffet lunch at The Water Rat pub in Ripon from 12:00 noon. If you’d like to attend, or to find out more, please contact Lynne.
Email Lynne to find out more.
Support our students for free
Whether you’re buying new school uniforms, a new sofa or completing an online food shop, did you know you can raise money for charity at the same time?
EasyFundraising is a free way to donate money to our alumni scholarship fund which supports the students who need it most.
You’ll never pay extra for your shopping, and EasyFundraising never shares the value of your basket with us either. It’s a simple and easy way to support our students without having to donate money to us directly.
EasyFundraising can explain how it donates money to us much better than we can on their website. But essentially, think of it like an internet advert. When you click on an advert on Google, Facebook or elsewhere, it’s because the company has paid for it to be there. EasyFundraising works by taking that payment for saying ‘buy from Marks & Spencer, they have 10% off furniture at the moment’ and giving it to the charity you’ve chosen instead.
Support our students for free on EasyFundraising.
Creative centre award
At the start of last month our fantastic new Creative Centre was announced as the joint winner of Education/Community category and the Sustainability category in the York Design Awards. This exciting award highlights how sustainability is literally at the heart of our campus.
Find out more about our award win on our website.
Great British Railways HQ vote
Did you know that York has been shortlisted to be the destination of Great British Railways headquarters?
As part of the final decision making process, a public vote is being held to gage the level of support for each shortlisted location. You can find out more about the public vote and read each location’s bid on the official website.
To vote for your favourite location (York) for this important headquarters, please cast your vote by 15 August 2022.
Careers
If September is the time for new starts, thanks to it being the start of the academic year, that makes August the time for job hunting! We’ve rounded up a few helpful articles from Indeed to get you started:
- Looking to move into marketing? Indeed has a short article about the differences between digital and social media marketing
- If you’re trying to broaden your job search, read the benefits and drawbacks of working for a small company
- If you’ve ever wondered if there’s a best time to apply for a job advert, Indeed have answered your question in detail
Class of 2021 internships
Class of 2021, are you looking to gain valuable experience for your CV? Our fantastic career team has a wide range of internships available for you to apply for. These short term internships with local businesses and charities will help you gain valuable skills you can use when applying for full time roles.
Each internship lasts for 20 hours a week, for 8 weeks and are a fully paid opportunity. Don’t delay, apply today button: https://yorksj.jobteaser.com/en/companies/25764-ysju-graduate-internship-programme
Design a Christmas bauble
Make It York have launched a bauble design competition to celebrate 30 years of York’s St Nicholas Christmas Fair. Free to enter for anyone living in York, or with a strong local connection, if you’ve got a flair for design, this is a great opportunity!
Find out more and submit your design by 12 noon on 5 August.
