It’s May! Which means we’re heading towards the end of the academic year and exam season is upon us; so this month, we’re taking a special look at mental health on our social media and blogs; we’ll have a blog post talking all about neurodiversity, and a series of infographics across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook discussing affirmations, self-care and highlighting the Student Minds support charity.

Across the university, there will also be a number of Stress Less activities to provide a creative and calming outlet for students struggling during their end of year period.

Check out the full Us in the World programme (and newsletter) for all sustainability-adjacent events, but here’s a list of highlights:

• Thurs 11th: Carbon Literacy Taster Session – student + staff introductory workshop, 2-3pm, Ng01. Staff can book onto taster workshops and full CLT training through StaffSpace (just pop us an email to book if this session isn’t yet showing up on Staffspace), and students can email our Carbon Literacy team to book their space.
• Sat 13th: Eurovision 2023 with Canterbury For Ukraine, student charity fundraising event, 7pm – 12am, The Lounge, St. Georges. Join the Students’ Union in the Lounge for Eurovision 2023 and help us raise funds in collaboration with Canterbury For Ukraine.
• Weds 17th: Acoustic Open Mic & Pizza Party – student + staff event, 12 – 2pm, Verena Holmes Plaza. Join the Chaplaincy team and the Academy for Sustainable Futures out in the sunshine for an acoustic open mic event, with freshly cooked pizza from our on-site clay pizza oven. Bring your own instrument or pick up one of ours to come and jam with us, or just drop by to hang out and have a listen.
• Thurs 18^th + Fri 26^th: Carbon Literacy Training – student + staff two-part workshop, 1 – 4pm. Staff can book onto taster workshops and full CLT training through StaffSpace (just pop us an email to book if this session isn’t yet showing up on Staffspace), and students can email our Carbon Literacy team to book their space.
• Refillable Van + Recipe Card Giveaway + Veg Box Collection Point, 1-5pm, Verena Holmes Plaza. Refillable Van is open 1 – 4pm, selling plastic-free goods. You can sign up to the Veg Box mailing list by emailing emily.nurden@canterbury.ac.uk; the collection times are Thursdays, 3 – 5pm, and will be at Verena Holmes Plaza on the 25th. The Recipe Card Giveaway will be located there too, 2 – 4pm, giving away both new and old recipe cards and cookbooks discovered in the Sustainability Team’s spring cleaning.
• (TBC) Weds 31st: Wednesdays in the DO/Potter & Prune Collab – student + staff event, 2-4pm, Johnson Wellbeing Garden (behind Johnson building). Arts & Culture and the Academy for Sustainable Futures are collaborating for a special Wednesdays in the Do/Potter & Prune crossover event. Join us in our community wellbeing garden next to Daphne Oram (tucked just behind Johnson building) for a little pottering and gardening activity and (hopefully) you’ll be able to take some seed starters away with you to keep on growing at home, in your offices or student rooms.

Loads more events can be found on the Events pages, and keep an eye on the Students’ Union’s social medias, as they plan to be running several weeks of destressing activities across May, including an upcycling and tote bag decorating workshop with the Student Green Office!

We hope to see you there!

By Bethany Climpson, Sustainability Engagement Assistant