May newsletter 2023
Welcome to your May newsletter. Last month was very busy at York St John. Campus hosted the York International Shakespeare Festival, our sports and societies battled the wet weather to have their annual photos taken in the quad, and we began working on some exciting plans for the 2024-2025 academic year.
This month, we’re excited to share a few exciting things we’ve been working on, including a new video sharing the impact of our alumni funded scholarships. Behind the scenes, we’re busy working on your next alumni magazine and beginning work on our next series of webinars. Throughout May we’ll also be getting ready to host our free YSJ Community Festival.
Another busy month ahead
Mental Health Awareness Week
Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place this month, starting on Monday 13 May. This year’s theme is moving for our mental health.
Research suggests even a short burst of activity can boost our mental wellbeing. The Mental Health Foundation has collated a list of tips for adding regular bursts of activity into our daily lives. They also have a range of advice articles for looking after your mental health and how to seek support. You can access these on their website.
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
On 17 May, York St John will mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). At York St John, we challenge prejudice and foster a welcoming, inclusive community.
- Learn more about our approach on our website.
- Read the United Nations Development Programme’s statement from IDAHOBIT 2023 on their website to learn more.
- Find out more about why IDAHOBIT is still needed from Stonewall’s 2021 article.
Wesak
This month millions of people around the world will celebrate Wesak on Thursday 23 May. Also known as Buddha Day or Vesak, it’s the most important Buddhist festival.
Wesak is celebrated every May on the full moon with a variety of traditions, including lighting Wesak lanterns, releasing caged birds and giving to charity.
You can find out more about Wesak on BBC newsround and BBC Bitesize.
YSJ Community Festival
Join us on Saturday 8 June for a fantastic day of free activities at our Haxby Road site. Hosted by your Alumni team, we’re excited to welcome as many people from our community as possible. From archery and tennis, to gardening and singing, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
YSJ Community Festival is a family friendly festival with activities for all ages to enjoy, including activities just for kids and activities just for adults.
Book your free Festival tickets on Eventbrite.
Happy birthday YSJ
May also marks York St John’s birthday! This year we’ve teamed up with the University Social Media channels to create some short videos all about our early history. Starring our very own Sally (Fundraising Projects Officer), keep an eye on our social media to watch them all this month.
No social media? We’ll create a blog post at the end of May where you can view them all in order! In the meantime, you can find out more about our early history in sections two, three and eight of our Audio Heritage Trail.
Listen to the audio tour to discover our history.
Visiting York in August? Stay in student accommodation!
This August, we’re opening up our St John Central site for bookings. Located in the city centre and less than a mile from campus, its perfectly placed if you’re attending a reunion, running the York 10k or planning a quick visit.
When booking you can choose a single or double room in a student flat, or choose to stay in one of our studios. All room rates include a complimentary breakfast grab bag, free WiFi and 24 hour security.
You can find out more and book your stay on our website.
Project North Star
If you work in Education, make sure to check out Project North Star. Led by York St John alumnus and history teacher, Terry Graham, this project aims to inspire educators to explore Black History with a North-East of England lens. Although focused on Black History in the North-East of England, this project will be useful for anyone looking to learn more about Britain’s Black History, from the Romans to the modern day.
Project North Star will officially be launched in Sunderland on 15 June, with an event including workshops, guest speakers, and ‘open mic’ sessions for people to share their ideas and current work in this area. More activities, and the official project website, will be released closer to the event.
- Learn more about the project, and book your ticket on Eventbrite
- Follow the Project on X (formally known as Twitter) to see some of their previous work
News from YSJ
- Last month, our Institute for Social Justice held their annual Doing Change event, a celebration of student research and activism. The event included a selection of specially commissioned short films and information about various projects, including Our Law Clinic and Living Lab. Find out more.
- Our International student experience has been ranked amongst the best in the UK after the results of the International Student Barometer were revealed. This leading benchmark tool tracked the experience of over 4 million students, with York St John performing better than the UK average across key factors. You can read more about this on our website.
- Class of 2023 graduate, Richard Holmes has been featured in a Universities UK project showcasing the stories of 100 first in family graduates. Richard is the creator of the ground-breaking Global Anthem, a hand gesture flashcard system to facilitate communication despite language barriers. Learn more about the 100 faces project, and Richard’s story on our website.
- A group of recent animation graduates have launched a new animation business based at our Enterprise Centre! Learn more about Hijinks Studios on our website.
With you, we can do more
This month we’re excited to share how your continued support helps our students. In the past couple of months, we’ve been working on a video to share the impact of alumni-funded scholarships on the students who receive them. We can’t wait to share the video with you soon.
This month we’ll also be sharing more case studies from our students, and information on how, with your help, we can do more. Finances should not be a barrier to education and our alumni-funded scholarships help students complete their courses.
CPD opportunities
York St John have some exciting CPD half day courses taking place over the next few months to aid both professional and personal development in health and wellbeing. Learn tips and techniques to reduce worry and rumination; and improve sleep hygiene. These workshops are open for those wishing to learn in both a professional and personal capacity. Each in-person workshop lasts half a day and costs £50.
- On Tuesday 11 June, join our How to Improve Sleep workshop. Learn about the latest advances in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in managing general sleep issues and explore evidence based tools to support a return to a normal sleeping pattern.
- On Wednesday 10 July, join our Reducing Worry and Rumination workshop to explore different ways to enable effective self-management of worry and rumination.
Upcoming events
There’s always something happening in York and on campus!
On campus events
- Join Professor Rupert Read for our Ebor Spring Lecture on Wednesday 8 May. This free hybrid event will explore eco-spirituality. You can learn more and book your tickets on Eventbrite.
- On Monday 13 May, explore the notebooks of acclaimed American jazz musician Sonny Rollins at an upcoming book launch of his edited personal writings. Hosted by York St John academic Sam Reese, who edited the collection, and University of York lecturer, J.T. Welsch, find out more about this event on Eventbrite.
- Join Professor Adeeba Malik CBE DL on Thursday 23 May for her Inaugural Lecture. You can learn more about Adeeba in our recent news article about her becoming the first ethnic minority woman to be declared High Sheriff for West Yorkshire. You can book your event tickets on Eventbrite.
- Find out more about the Interactive Games Postgraduate Research Conference hosted by investigate.games on Eventbrite. Taking place on Friday 12 July, tickets go live on 24 May.
York events
- York Festival of Ideas is back from 1 to 14 June! Including plenty of free activities, keep an eye on their website for the event programme announcement.
- York Minster is marking the 40th anniversary of the 1984 fire with a series of special events, tours and services. You can find out more about each event on their website.
Our alumni community
York St John visits New York
Whilst many of us in the UK will be enjoying the first bank holiday in May, we’ll be hosting our first International event in New York! May 2024 marks 100 years of civic partnership between York and New York, and will be celebrated in New York with several events. For us, we’re excited to reconnect with some of our fantastic overseas alumni.
Alumni book launch
On 15 May, Class of YEAR Occupational Therapy alumna, Anneke Vliegen, is celebrating the publication of her memoir, Recognise Me. Anneke’s memoir explores her life juggling chronic illness, misdiagnosis, medical gaslighting and motherhood. Find out more about the launch event and RSVP on her website.
You can find out more about Anneke’s journey since studying at York St John on Alumination.
York 10k
There’s still time to join our York 10k team! Whether you’re an experienced runner or you’ve never run a 10k before, by joining our team you can support the students who need it most.
For £15 receive discounted race entry, a free team tshirt, support setting up your donations page and invitations to team runs this summer.
Join our team by buying your race ticket on our online store.
Webinars
This month, we’re premiering the final webinar of our 2023-2024 webinar series. Class of 2017 alum Lauren currently works as a Speech and Language Therapist after completing their degree in Creative Writing, Linguistics and English Language. In their webinar, Lauren discusses how their time at York St John helped them find the opportunities to develop their skills beyond their degree.
You can watch our previous webinars for free on YouTube.
