SSAFE – Suicide Support and Awareness for Everyone – is a society with the mission to provide vital support, raise awareness and promote positive mental wellbeing to students across Leeds. They host weekly events which are open to all students. Sometimes those are peer support sessions where you can discuss relevant issues like stress, being away from home, or climate change. They could also be wellbeing activities like painting, yoga, or jewellery making.
The English Society (Engsoc) is an academic society for all students who love literature, humanities, and the arts – although they especially aim to represent students under the School of English. They often host pub quizzes and open mics to showcase student writing.
Megan, Alex and Kate all agree that getting involved with societies and joining their events is a great way to make friends.
“Society events are extremely important as they are an easy (and cheap!) way to meet new people. Our events are particularly attractive to international students who find us on the Engage events page. Creating a small but wholesome community for anyone to access is a highlight to running a society.” – Alex
“Society events are crucial to University life, as they provide amazing opportunities to meet people with similar interests. Some of my closest friends are those I met through societies in my first year! Through these events, we believe students can make the most of their university experience.” – Kate
Not only that, joining a society is essential to improving your wellbeing.
“Taking a break from studying, lectures, and exams is essential to maintaining your wellbeing. Having access to a plethora of events run by all sorts of societies makes taking a break super easy, without breaking the bank.” – Megan
When it comes to the variety of events, societies often organise trips which give you the opportunity to explore places within and beyond Leeds that may otherwise have been inaccessible. They provide you with a fulfilling getaway to rest and refresh your mind, a bonding experience to make new friends and reinforce existing friendships, and maybe even some cultural education to learn something new.
SSAFE recently ran an event at the Kitty Café in Leeds where more than 40 students gathered to socialise and play with cats and kittens.
“Our favourite part was seeing everyone enjoying themselves and bonding with new people over the shared love of kittens. The café staff were also lovely. They made some delicious chocolate milkshakes!” – Megan
“We regularly post pictures and videos of animals on our Instagram (@ssafeluu), and people love it! Besides, our pets as therapy sessions have been popular in the past (We ran a dog therapy session last year, and it went down amazingly!). The Kitty Café combines a general love for animals and a space to make friends and destress. It also allowed students to explore a part of Leeds they may have not been to before.” – Alex
Meanwhile, Engsoc recently went on their annual trip. Aiming to go somewhere with a depth of culture and a relation to literature, they chose Chatsworth House.
“Chatsworth House is full of history, and it is associated with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – the estate was rumoured to have been the inspiration for Pemberley in the novel and was also used as the filming location for the 2005 film adaptation. Since the University runs an Undergraduate Jane Austen module, we felt this trip would support and inspire students’ studies and interests.” – Kate
Students got to explore the gardens before taking a tour of the house to see its artwork and history.
“My favourite part of the day had to be visiting the farmyard on the estate, where we could feed animals – even adorable baby lambs! The day was a fun, stress-relieving step away from academic studies. It brought our society together as a community.” – Kate
Sounds interesting? Even though our societies are finishing up for the summer, they’ll be back in the next academic year! So take a look at our vast catalogue of clubs and societies on Engage, get in touch with any that interest you, and join them in September. You’ll meet our clubs and societies at the fair during Welcome Week, and they’ll be hosting free Give It A Go taster sessions for you to try a society before joining one.
Looking for something to do during summer? Keep an eye on our events programme on Engage!
