Belonging and Beyond
Belonging and Beyond is here to support student belonging and inclusivity at the University of Kent
Belonging and Beyond is an initiative designed to welcome our diverse student body to Kent, offering ongoing opportunities for students to feel at home in their learning community, build peer networks, and flourish in their studies.
A sense of belonging can mean many things and be found in a variety of ways. We also think it is something that can take time to develop and maintain. We want to embrace this broad meaning in the range of activities we run and we want to ensure these activities continue beyond Welcome Week.
The initiative is designed in particular to support ethnically marginalised students in developing a sense of belonging at Kent. However, all students are welcome and encouraged to participate to help us create an inclusive and connected community.
This programme has been designed with input from student representatives, the REMP (Racially and Ethnically Marginalised People) Student Network, the Global Majority Staff Network, and our Student Success academic researchers.
We are offering pre-arrival and transitional Welcome Week activities to ensure students are supported through one of the most exciting but also challenging moments in their time at university. This will include, for example, an online pre-arrival roundtable discussion to share experiences of transition and belonging.
We aim to build on this vital moment of arrival and transition by continuing to offer events throughout the teaching term, delivered through networking, informational, developmental and academic initiatives. Events will be visible on the University of Kent Events Calendar so keep an eye out!
Events we are exploring include networking events, coffee mornings, inspirational speakers, academic talks with a global outlook, or workshops to develop relevant skills and mindsets.
If you wish to help shape the programme, you can get in touch with us at studentsuccess@kent.ac.uk. Your voice will help make this work flourish!
Our aim is to see students who engage with the programme gain a greater sense of belonging at the University of Kent, and for this greater sense of belonging to empower them to progress successfully through their studies.
A Big Kent Welcome
Starting university is exciting, nerve-wracking, and life-changing all at once. To help you navigate the leap into higher education, we’ve gathered a collection of short video clips from current University of Kent students who know exactly what you’re going through.
Finding your Community
I was quite shy about socialising on campus and was closer to my friends in London. I was not keen to step out of my comfort zone but I joined the Martial Arts society and found like-minded people. Now, I understand that, in certain situations, you have to be more direct and I like to debate about things. I’ve remained my authentic self.
Finding your Community
On campus everyone is very friendly here. You’re meeting people, I love meeting different people from different backgrounds, and I was so surprised how many international students there are and then there are people who have come from all across the country
