August has gotten off to a rather lazy
beginning. After finishing a monster 10,000 word essay for my supervisor, I
felt the need to go into a bit of a hibernation mode. My days have been filled
with CrossFit, YouTube videos, Netflix, and World of Warcraft. It has been a
very necessary break and I must admit that I am loathed to start up work again.
Thankfully, I’m slightly ahead of where I need to be in my PhD and so I have a
bit of wiggle room.
It hasn’t all been hedonism and
weightlifting though. I’ve been working on some extracurricular projects over the
summer which have taken on a new prominence as my own project waits patiently
for me to get back to it. I have agreed to be an SSCC representative at the
department. SSCC stands for Student Staff Consultation Committee. Some of you
may remember I took on this role while I was at Durham as well, though it’s a
very different thing at this university. It seems that while there is the liaising
with staff representatives which was the core of what I did last year, reps
here are more about providing help and support to PhDs which includes social
activities, welfare and the like. I haven’t officially begun my tenure as a rep
but I’ve already been in contact with my colleagues and we’ve discussed some potential
routes we may explore. To be honest, there is some irony is my taking this
position on. I’ve been struggling with feelings of isolation, imposter syndrome,
and depression and anxiety. In speaking with other PhDs not just at this
university but at others as well, it seems that isolation and imposter syndrome
are extremely common. I’m hoping as a rep to prioritise mental well-being this
year not just for my sake, but for all of our students.
While some ideas for social gatherings and
perhaps periodic yoga and mindfulness seminars are bouncing around my brain, I’ve
also been stuck in with work on a Black History Month community project. This
is probably the one project that I feel most excited about and really touches
on the work I hope to do in the future. Teens from around Leicester are going
to be coming to the university in October (that’s when the UK celebrates Black
History Month) where they will have the opportunity to interact with some
collections and where we will be discussing race issues. I’m really hoping it’s
a day that will inspire the students to make some changes in their lives and
communities. It’s such an exciting and complex project to be working on but it’s
one that is so important to me.
Finally, I’m getting some practical
exhibition experience as well working on the display of a commissioned art
piece at the university library. The display will also include a digital
exhibition of some of the library’s archival collection, specifically the Joe
Orton Collection. While rather ironically, I find my interest in museum work
moving away from exhibitions and more into community engagement and education
(yes, I know I railed against returning to an education career last year), I am
glad to finally be getting some hands-on exhibition experience.
Jen, thanks for the update! Always good to hear about your work and activities.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It certainly has been keeping me very busy.
DeleteInteresting that the UK celebrates Black History as well. It always seemed something that came about from our period of slavery in the US, I never really thought about countries doing the same thing. Anyway, maybe I'll see you in Azeroth this weekend. I can never seem to find the time to log on, but I am going to try this weekend.
ReplyDeleteHey there. The UK has had its own racial troubles in the past (and present!) though it's true that there wasn't really formalised slavery here like there was in the US. After WWII the UK invited many people from the Caribbean to settle here because there was a great need for workers. Many of the people who came had also fought for Britain in the war. Unfortunately not everyone was welcoming to them or to later generations.
DeleteHopefully see you in Azeroth soon.