It’s not Thursday but today we’re throwing it back to the best ten days of our uni experience – Kick-Off! I, like many of you, was a zero in this fall’s Kick-Off where I got to take part in ten days, jam packed with fun interactive activities and experiences that not only allowed me the opportunity to get to know the school and the city but also a bunch of new amazing people.
I joined the Blue Crew’s kickoff and while the overall experience was unmatched, I couldn’t help but feel for our international population at HLK who sat for the most part quietly during our last event – the closing sittning. The sittning was carried out in a mix of Swedish and English. I, being someone who is lucky enough to be fluent in both languages to an extent that allows me to understand the humour in them, like many others had a great time and laughed all throughout the hour and a bit we were sat at Akademien. The experience became something I will carry with me for the rest of my life for all of the right reasons.
After Kick-Off, however, I found myself gravitating towards the international students, listening to them recount their own feelings surrounding the Kick-Off week. A general consensus was that while yes, the activities and the people and the fadders were all exceptional, the closing ceremony, the memory most fresh in their minds, was underwhelming primarily due to the fact that they were only able to understand and enjoy what seemed like a small part of this big experience. This got me thinking so I reached out to the president of LOK who oversees the ethics and concerns to do with Blue Crew and HLK related events.
Basically, these concerns have not fallen on deaf ears. Conversations surrounding the language in which the kick-off closing sittning should be held have been in motion, ultimately deciding that for optimum inclusion the Blue Crew Kick-Off closing sittning will from next year be held in solely English.
So the moral of this short story is, speak and you shall be heard. In our educational environment it often happens that we feel overcome by emotions we think only we are feeling and therefore avoid bringing them up in fear of being labelled “dramatic”. It’s a big school and an even bigger world so chances are whatever you are feeling someone else is too, talking about and asking questions regarding your feelings could result in significant change. Nothing is too small or too stupid to bring up, you just have to dare to do so and I can assure you that all the associations at our school are always willing to help.
Writer: Loreleigh Mostert
