Hello friends! My name is Peadar (rhymes with Bladder), I’m a 3rd year undergraduate music student and I’m running for the position of Co-President of Events and Activities. Being in SOAS has changed my life in so many ways, from my approach to music, checking my privilege and learning to be confident with my identity. After being the LGBTQ+ SU Officer for the past year, I have learnt the rules and regulations for planning events and am confident running different events in varying capacities. As the Co-President of Events and Activities I vow to act as a medium for the student’s wants and needs to be heard and carried out. I believe that it is important to ensure that the student body is being reflected in the activities and events that are planned rather than my voice being prioritised.
When I first came to SOAS in 2016, I was disappointed by the lack of queer visibility and representation, so, in my second year I set up the Drag Society, which has had 8 successful shows to date. As Co-President, I would make it a priority to help new societies get their footing organising their society and events. I also have been the secretary of the LGBTQ+ society where I have planned numerous events such as the G(End)er Swap Clothes Swap, the Lip-sync Battle, film screenings, crafternoons, and was the co-ordinator for this year’s Queer History Month where we had over 3 events every week. A priority of mine has been creating spaces that are safe and inclusive to people of all identities and experiences and this would be a priority of mine as Co-President, creating spaces where people experiencing any kind distress can go to step away. I would also like to work with the Enough is Enough team and welfare contacts to reduce the high incidents of harassment during late licenses and other events by strengthening communication between the SU/welfare contacts and the student body. I also believe that there needs to be further training for welfare contacts to support those dealing with sensory issues, health difficulties, anxiety, etc. No one should feel unsafe in their own university.
I have a wide variety of events that I would love to organise. To ensure that there is a continuum of events, I would like to plan monthly events including a concert series that showcases SOAS performers and friends, drag shows, screenings of films chosen by students, and a seminar series led and presented by SOAS students. Other events I would like to plan are inter-departmental sports tournaments, a sports day, subsidised trips to places across the UK, club nights in and out of SOAS, mixers throughout the year, international festival celebrations, pub quizzes and end of term formals that don’t cost a fortune. I also would like to provide workshops for skills like DJ’ing, sound engineering, poster illustration and more which could lead to paid work within SOAS societies and the SU. I also believe that a priority for events planning is accessibility, so I would only organise events in locations that are accessible to all.
Although my time at SOAS has been focussed on LGBTQ+ events, I am confident that I can create events that cater towards people of all identities and experiences. I am a creative thinker and have so may ideas for events and would love the opportunity to put them into fruition.