The Students’ Guild has launched a new campaign that aims to increase inclusivity and celebrate the diversity that exists within our community.
The campaign, named #WeAreAllExeter, claims to offer an opportunity for students to share their stories, as well as a chance to “learn more about [their] friends and fellow students and their lives.”
Led by a team of Sabbatical and other Guild offi cers, as well as STAR, LGBTQ+ Society and the Athletics Union, #WeAreAllExeter is currently being widely promoted around Devonshire House, with staff at several Guild outlets wearing t-shirts in support of the campaign. The campaign is also being run with the support of several other organisations, such as Refugee Support Devon, This Girl Can and Exeter Pride.
One of the more visible arms of the campaign is the #HumansOfExeter series, which sees photographs of various students across campus accompanied by a brief tale of their background posted on the Guild’s Facebook page. Other are also being encouraged to upload their photos in a similar style using the hashtag, in an attempt to allow more students from differing backgrounds to have their stories heard.
These campaign photos are being shared on Facebook in instalments, with a caption of a brief insight into the student’s life, for example one focused on student January Mim: “I’m from Seoul, South Korea. I’ve been living in Exeter almost two years. I study drama. I have always wanted to study drama since I was young. There are a few international students here from Canada and Australia, but then there’s a stereotype that Asian students are really good at maths but not at humanities. People don’t expect that much when they see Asian students studying humanities and arts, which is wrong.”
Several events are also being held under the #WeAreExeter umbrella, with black and LGBT history events taking centre stage, among others. Societies that want to hold events as part of the campaign have to agree to advertise their event more broadly, welcome others, ensure that the event covers the topics at hand fairly and that any costs are kept as low as possible so that nobody is excluded from taking part.
The campaign also offers an outlet to those who feel that the University or Guild aren’t inclusive enough to have their voices heard. Students who feel this way are encouraged to speak to the Advice Unit, use the Reporting Information Directory (RID) or to use the #WeAreAllExeter page on the Guild website to provide feedback.
