De-stress

Chaplains and chaplaincy are beautifully placed within the structures of University life to offer a multiplicity of de-stress ideas and activities for students and staff during this period of study, revision and exams

1. Pitch a 'pop up' chaplaincy in a suitable space around campus.

It could be in a green space, in the S.U. building (if you are lucky enough to have one!), in an accessible room or the library.

 

2. Create an eyecatching poster

Student and well being services will love you for offering to help de-stress students. Send your poster to one and all across campus and have a poster campaign.

 

3. offer simple and easy games, activities and freebies

I'm a hunter and gatherer from way back - always on the hunt for a bargain, freebies, something I can make from nothing and so in my chaplaincy bag of tricks when it comes to this time of the year I have lots of things to give away.

Charity shops are great for games and bits and bobs.

Us crafty types can have a field day making simple give aways - like these sweet study aid lavender bags.

4. Enjoy the fun and have a laugh with students!

Since pitching the pop up chaplaincy in Drill Hall Library (Europe's longest library!) I have had more fun than I have had for a long time, and the students too have been laughing, bantering, meeting new people, giving a yoyo a go, playing games and simply relaxing and de-stressing for a minute or two.

It has been one of the best things I have offered on campus, give it a go!

 

 

 

 

Creating community

After nearly 2 decades in educational chaplaincy I am convinced that at the heart of chaplaincy is the creation of community.

Community simply means 'with' 'unity'.

Our post-secular post-modern university contexts can be colourful yet confusing places of incohesive diversity.  Diversity is what life is all about. Yet in the heady mix of otherness we need to find 'our tribe', people we can share some meaningful union with. Clusters and gatherings of folks we can have some shared mutuality of interests, beliefs, passions, hopes, dreams and spirituality.

Isolated students are away from family, home, pets, cultures, rituals, food, places and their customs of meaning and purpose. They are thrown together in an academic environment at a significant time of their lives in terms of human formation and are meant to make 'some sort of meaning' out of their undergraduate years.

Who are the wise elders to help form and shape this significant time of students lives and how do students do this as they are a part of a community of learning?

Chaplains and chaplaincy have unique freedoms and indeed I would say are vocationally called to literally create meaningful community and communities for our students.

Robert Banks in "Paul's idea of Community"  (https://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/author.pl/author_id=457) has a simple recipe for creating community.

The ingredients are: a place, some time, sharing stories and good food.

This simple recipe can be stirred, mixed and dolloped with lashings of love around our university campuses.

Here are a few ways community has and is being created at the Medway campus of the universities of Greenwich, Kent and Canterbury Christ Church.

free lunch exploring ideas of food and Harvest

free lunch exploring Christianity

free lunch exploring the Human Universe

students from the 3 universities sharing lunch, personal experiences, ideas, wisdom, humour!

A.R.K. Act of Random Kindness ~ Pancake Tuesday (note the student spelling of 'chaplain')

Pancake Tuesday

Freshers free picnic

Freshers free picnic one campus, 3 universities and students getting to know each other

How do you set up a new University Chaplaincy service?

In September 2013 I was appointed to set up a new Chaplaincy service for three UK universities on one campus. And 'impossible task' was the chorus I heard most often by those in the sector.

The Universities of Canterbury Christ Church, Greenwich and Kent have schools or faculties on the Medway Campus Chatham Maritime Kent. A historic and significant ex naval base this site was acquired about 2 decades ago to establish H.E. presence in this underrepresented region of the UK. Apart from Drill Hall library there is no shared service, apart from chaplaincy.

Canterbury Christ Church at Medway Campus Touchdown cafe with Katie Dine, activities officer

Kent University at Medway Campus

Pembroke Buildings, Greenwich University's Engineering faculty at Medway Campus

Funded by the unique partnership of 3 universities and Rochester cathedral how do you go about setting up a chaplaincy?

You take a trusted and tried Trinitarian theology...
You trust the capacity you have as a mother to love equally 3 very different children...
You take the skills learnt in establishing 4 educational chaplaincies in Australia...
And best of all!
Being an ordained vocational deacon and not a priest in the Anglican church you embody 'go in peace to love and serve the Lord'.

Loving and serving - this is how you set up a new University Chaplaincy service.

Chaplaincy at Freshers Fayre 2013