So you want to join a society? (Performing Arts & Social Awareness Edition)
Welcome to the 2nd of our 3 articles on societies at university! I’ll be the first to admit that the title of this one is quite a mouthful, but I guess that tells you that today’s article is quite jam-packed, so I’ll try to make it quick. Today’s article is all about performing arts societies as well as those surrounding social awareness at university. Now, I will admit that I don’t personally have anything to do with societies in either of these categories, however I have played cello since I was little, so know a thing or two about performing arts, and have previously (I’m retired) been involved in student politics. Do with that information what you will, those are my credentials, let’s dive in.
PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETIES
Certainly at my university, and I’m sure at others all over the country, performing arts societies are plentiful with many different options for things you can get involved in. From dance societies to orchestras and symphonies, if you’ve got an interest in performing arts then there’ll be a society for you.
Whilst performing arts societies can be quite busy, holding various dance recitals, concerts and performance across the year they also manage to fly under the radar of sports societies at most universities, allowing them to do whatever they want without the spotlight (which I guess in performing arts could actually be bad, but rest assured it definitely isn’t this case). There are many different opportunities across the year to get involved in performances both within your university and also those outside of your university and more generally in your city, such as Christmas concerts. In addition to this, many societies hold a tour every year, giving you the chance to explore your passions in another country!
It’s also important to recognise that you’ll find varying degrees of difficulty and commitment in different performing arts societies at universities. Having to audition for a group can be quite intimidating, but rest assured there are plenty of more relaxed groups that you can get involved with that don’t require quite as much stress and are more there for you to have a good time and work on whatever you do, whether that be taking a ballet class for the first time (because why not) or getting involved in a singing group that makes it onto national radio (I’m looking at University of York’s A Capella group that recently made it onto the BBC’s Breakfast Show with Greg James at a memorial for a duck - yes it’s as crazy as it sounds).
Regardless of what your interest in the performing arts is, there will be a society for you, so I’d definitely take the opportunity to look on your Students’ Union website and see what you can find!
SOCIAL AWARENESS SOCIETIES
Want to get involved with politics at your uni and feel like you’re making a difference to your experience and the experiences of your fellow students? Universities hold elections throughout the year, giving you plenty of opportunities to run for student parliament and have your say! Whilst this is a fantastic opportunity, it can be quite a bit of work for some and there are several other pathways into having an impact whilst you’re at uni.
Enter: social awareness societies. Ranging from grassroots issues in your local community, such as ecosystem conservation, all the way up to internationally recognised groups like Amnesty International, there are so many different levels that you can come into a social awareness society at.
Whilst I’ll admit that these aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (they’re not for me, personally), if you’re looking for a society that isn’t based in academics and doesn’t require some kind of previous experience or skill (such as playing a sport or a musical instrument) then joining a social awareness society provides a really good opportunity for you to be involved with a society at uni whilst not feeling the pressure of having to ‘perform’ per se.
These societies are generally considered to be a much less strict commitment then say joining a BUCS team or the orchestra and having multiple commitments every week. So, if you’re looking for a society that takes up a little less of your time and gives you plenty of space to get out and do other things, whilst giving you that society feel, then social awareness societies could be the ones for you!
And that brings us to the end of our 2nd societies article for this year! Hopefully you’ve been able to gain some valuable information from this one and get some insight into what some different societies that you might not have heard as much about have to offer.
Next week, we’ll be taking a break from the societies series to discuss the all important topic: what’s in my uni bag?
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See you next week for our weekly Tuesday article and in the meantime, keep refining.
Mia