Southwark College marked LGBTQ+ History Month with a series of activities and events organised to create spaces where students can express their thoughts, get creative and celebrate throughout the month.
The events organised by the College's Student Union and Student Services team saw the College's community work together to produce an LGBTQ+ key figures display and a range of art pieces to highlight their support for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
As part of the celebrations, students and staff participated in a poetry workshop to express themselves and share their thoughts on what LGBTQ+ History Month means and why representation is important.
They also heard from various speakers from various organisations, including Mark Healey, the founder of the National Hate Crime Awareness Week. Mark spoke to students about raising awareness of hate crime and shared information about the charity work and the Rainbow Boroughs London project to encourage networking, communication, and collaboration across the LGBTQ+ community.
He said: "I'm excited to be able to speak to Southwark College students about the work we do as part of the National Hate Crime Awareness Week campaign to support those affected by hate crime in the UK.
"It is essential to bring people together to remember those we have lost and to provide ongoing support to prevent these incidents from happening again."
During the month, students also worked together to form the LGBTQ+ Society. A space where they can get together to talk and express their feelings in a safe environment.
The Society will meet weekly during term time. To find out more and take part, contact the Student Services team or a member of the Student Union.
Annette Cast, Principal at Southwark College, said: "I'm delighted to see our students and staff come together to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month and highlight the contribution the movement has made to Society.
"At Southwark College, we are committed to promoting and embedding a culture of equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging to safeguard our students and staff regardless of their background or preferences. We work tirelessly to continue providing a safe environment to our College community where everyone feels free to be themselves and are supported so they can live their lives to the full and achieve their goals and ambitions."
To find out more about the College's Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging policy, visit southwark.ac.uk/equality-diversity-and-inclusion.
