November newsletter 2024
Welcome to your November newsletter! Tonight, many around the UK will be enjoying Bonfire Night by attending firework displays and local bonfires. At York St John, we’re getting ready for an exciting month ahead. This month we’ll be celebrating the Class of 2024 at Graduation, working on Your YSJ Reunion 2025 and looking forward to the upcoming festive season.
This newsletter is quite a long one, but only because there’s so much happening! As our days continue to grow shorter, make sure to check out our upcoming events section and our Alumni events section for information about events you could attend in person, or from home.
A busy month ahead
Diwali
At the start of November, we marked Diwali. Celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world, Diwali is a five day Festival of Lights. For more information about Diwali, please see a useful article from BBC’s newsround.
Remembrance Day
This month, we will be marking Remembrance Sunday and Remembrance Day. On campus, staff and students can attend a short service and act of remembrance in the quad.
On Remembrance Sunday, local cinema City Screen are holding a screening of All My Life’s Buried Here: The Story of George Butterworth. Tracing his childhood in York through to his forays collecting folksongs, the film follows his life to its tragic conclusion in the Somme trenches in 1916. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Stewart Morgan Hajdukiewicz, and Butterworth’s biographer and St John’s College alumnus, Anthony Murphy. For more information about the film and when it is being screen, please visit the cinema’s website. You can learn more about George Butterworth on York Civic Trust’s website.
In December, join Dr Alice Brumby, Senior Lecturer in Health History at York St John for her lecture exploring the lasting legacy of the First World War on men’s bodies and minds. The lecture will consider the lived experiences of those who fought in the war and their experiences with lasting injuries and disabilities afterwards. You can learn more and book your free ticket for this event on Eventbrite.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
On 20 November, we will also be marking Transgender Day of Remembrance. This international day of remembrance honours the memories of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-trans violence.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
At the end of November, we will be marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. On the United Nations website, they state that an estimated 736 million women around the world have been subjected to a form of gender based violence at least once in their life.
You can read more about the United Nation’s work to end violence against women and girls on their website.
Your alumni community
Webinars
This month, we’re excited to release our second webinar of this series! Over summer, we caught up with Class of 1972 Ripon College alumnus, John Ridley. After leaving College with his Certificate in Education, he embarked on a teaching career that would see him teaching across a range of schools, including as a headteacher for 21 years!
After retiring in 2009, John returned to higher education, completing an MA in Primary Education, which was soon followed by a Doctorate in Education. Not yet ready to fully retire, John also tutored for the Open University until 2020.
You can watch John’s fantastic and inspiring webinar on YouTube.
Ask Our alum
Have you checked out Ask Our Alum yet? Support our student and alumni community by becoming an Ask Our Alum ambassador or get your questions answered by asking an alum for career advice.
Learn more about Ask Our Alum on our website.
Alumni magazine
Last month, we were delighted to release the latest edition of 1841, your annual alumni magazine. We hope you enjoyed reading your copy and learning more about what’s been happening on campus, and about our upcoming events!
If you haven’t already, you can read the magazine on our website.
Alumni events
North East Network
Last month, we held our first North East Network in Darlington! It was fantastic to meet local alumni and learn more about their experiences of studying with us and life after graduation.
Christmas Carol Service
Join us on Monday 2 December for our annual University Christmas Carol Service! Enjoy York Minster at the start of the festive season and watch a new performance from our musical theatre students. Plus, you’ll have the chance to sing along to traditional carols.
Doors open at 6:45pm and the service will begin at 7:30pm. Please book a ticket if you wish to attend, as this event usually sells out quickly!
A Very Ripon Christmas
After a fantastic event last year, we’re hosting A Very Ripon Christmas again at Ripon Golf Club! If you studied in Ripon, join us on Thursday 5 December for a festive lunch, the chance to reconnect with other alumni and to learn more about our work.
Tickets cost £19.50 and include a small contribution to our alumni-funded scholarships. As with all of our events, our ticket price reflect the cost of the event, and the Alumni team will not make a profit. Learn more about this event and how to buy tickets on our website.
Your YSJ Reunion 2025
It might be Bonfire Night tonight, but we’re already looking ahead to warmer days! Next summer, we’re hosting our second bi-annual all-years, all-campuses alumni reunion on our York campus.
We’re still finalising details, so if you’re interested in joining us on Saturday 28 June 2025, please register your interest. Everyone who does will get early access when our tickets on sale.
Register your interest with our short form.
Celebrating 50 years
If you studied with us between 1975 and 2001, make sure to get involved with our 50 year celebration!
In September 2025, it will be 50 years since the College of Ripon and York St John opened, and we want to mark it in three ways:
- With a yearbook for CRYSJ alumni
- With a commemorative badge
- By celebrating the impact of our alumni at graduation with a Graduation Prize.
Learn more about how and why we’re celebrating on our website. Find out more about our 50 years CRYSJ celebration on our website .
Can you help with a students’ research?
If you are a HCPC registered clinical or counselling psychologist that is currently practising in the UK, one of our students needs your help!
Current student Lorna, is exploring experiences of social class and classism within the
psychological profession. As part of their research, Lorna needs to conduct one hour, online interviews to discuss participants experiences of social class and classism within the profession.
For more information or to register interest, please contact lorna.andersson@yorksj.ac.uk.
This study has ethical approval granted by the YSJU Ethics committee and research is overseen by Dr Byron Al-Murri and Dr Jasmine Childs-Fegredo.
CPD opportunities
Did you know that at York St John, we run a range of courses and training opportunities? From life drawing classes to nationally recognised qualifications, here are just two upcoming courses.
Level 5 Certificate in Primary School Physical Education Specialism
You might remember this course being advertised earlier this year, and after a successful first course delivery, it’s back this December.
This course is aimed at primary school teachers and higher level teaching assistants who want to raise standards within primary school physical education. On completion of this six day course, you will be able to confidently contribute to improving the overall delivery of the physical education curriculum within primary schools. The course is designed to build on your existing knowledge and confidence to deliver outstanding primary physical education (PE) within your school.
If you graduated in the last 10 years, you could also receive a discount on this course! You can find out more about this course on our website.
Domestic Abuse and Mental Health
Exposure to domestic violence has a significant impact on individual’s mental health. Discover the psychological theories of domestic abuse and the reasons for it leading to effect a person’s mental health in this one day course. You will learn how to positively support an individual and what you can do to assist the person’s mental health recovery process.
You can learn more about this course on our website.
Find out more about our short courses and CPD on our website.
YSJ Events
There’s a lot happening on campus as we draw to the end of 2024!
- This week, Aesthetica Short Film Festival is returning to York and our campus. We’ve proudly supported Aesthetica since its inception in 2011, and can’t wait to welcome it back to campus. Learn more about the festival and how to get involved on our website.
- On Wednesday 6 November join a joint webinar hosted by the NSPCC and York St John about ‘It’s Not Love’, a collection of resources, including a short film, designed to support those working with young people to explore and understand healthy and unhealthy relationships. Book your free online space on Eventbrite.
- In December, attend our next Ebor Lecture with Chine McDonald. Chine is the Director of Theos, a religion and society think tank. This hybrid event is free to attend. Learn more and book your place on Eventbrite.
- On Thursday 12 December, join Professor Anne-Marie as she reflects on books, barbie and biscuits in her inaugural lecture exploring key moments of her career and how women’s voices in particular are often repressed or silent. This event is also hybrid and free to attend. Book your free ticket on Eventbrite.
News from YSJ
Last month we officially launched our Postgraduate Research School! Our new School brings together all services for our Postgraduate Research Community, and will support our PGR students throughout their research and beyond. You can read more about the School in your latest alumni magazine, and learn about the official launch on our website.
In October, a regional survey of over 5000 local residents began on behalf of Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance. Carried out by our Institute for Health and Care Improvement, the survey will assess regional awareness of cancer symptoms as part of a wider remit to improve cancer survival rates. For more information about this important work and the purpose of the survey, you can read the article on our website.
On Anti-Slavery Day, Film and Television Production alumnus Edwin Buckley launched a new modern slavery campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the prevalence of modern slavery and educate the public about common signs. Stand With Survivors has already gained the support of seventeen celebrities from the stage and screen. Find out more on our website.
This November, Professor of Education, Tom Dobson, is releasing a new book called The Poppy Project. Inspired by a family history project his daughter did at Primary School during the 2021 lockdowns, The Poppy Project aims to bring the History of World War Two to young readers in a new way. Find out more about this new book on our website.
