Beth is a third-year student who was previously the Activities Officer at the SU during the academic years 2017/18 and 2018/19. After going through a difficult period with anxiety and depression, Beth decided to start up her own society, Knit Like Your Nana, in 2015 after finding a new passion for knitting and is the President of the society. Here, she tells us how starting her own society helped her to continue with her studies…
What made you want to set up the society?
When I first started uni, I felt very isolated and started going home at any opportunity I had because I missed my family and friends so much. I had also just been diagnosed with GAD (Generalised Anxiety Disorder) and depression so I felt much more lonely and isolated. One day, I decided to go to a one-off knitting session with the Volunteering team at the Students' Union and I really enjoyed it. I was then encouraged to set up a knitting society, which I decided to do and I've never looked back!
What do you get out of being part of a society?
The biggest thing that I get out of being part of the society is my knitting pals. We are all incredibly different people but we all share our passion and love for knitting and crochet. The friendships that I've made with these girls continues now even after they have all graduated and moved away, and we all still make an effort to see each other. I also learnt new skills that have really encouraged me to develop myself, which then gave me the confidence to run in the Students' Union elections and become the Activities Officer for two years running. Without the society, there was no way that I would have ever had the confidence to run for Activities Officer.
Would you say that joining a society can help students who may be feeling lonely or homesick?
I would definitely say that joining a society helps with feelings of loneliness and homesickness. You meet people that you can rely on and people who share the same common interests as you. You can also meet people who might be feeling the exact way as you are and are experiencing a similar thing. I definitely built my family away from home being part of the Knit Like Your Nana society.
What would you say to students considering joining or starting their own society?
Do it and if you don't know what you're interested in, then try out a few different societies. Get a feel for what you may like to do and just go with the flow of it. There is always something for everyone and if there isn't a society you're looking for, you can create one yourself! It's so rewarding having built a society that functions and brings people together!
What else would you say to students who haven't already been involved with their SU?
It is NEVER too late to join something or start your own society. Even though I'm in my third year, I have just joined the Sign Language society and the Uni Boob Team and I enjoy spending time with different groups of people. In the first few months of starting the Knit Like Your Nana society, we grew from five members to 78, and we've also won awards! I really cherish the friendships that I've made through the society and I probably would have dropped out of uni if it wasn't for Knit Like Your Nana and the friends I've made.
Like the sound of the Knit Like Your Nana society? Find out more and become a member here hallamstudentsunion.com/soc/8403/. You can also visit our main Societies page to discover what else you can be part of through your SU hallamstudentsunion.com/get_involved/societies/