Leadership in action by UTAS student Yanqi Wang Putting her creativity and social work skills to practice Yanqi has been busy growing seedlings in her apartment, creating art from recycled materials, teaching online Auslan classes for fellow students and through her role as a Residential Leader making welfare checks on her fellow students. Yanqi said: At student living I help organise events such as Game of Soles, a walking / running challenge to encourage students to get outside a little bit. I am also running Hands On For Auslan workshops, sharing my sign language skills with other student residents, both virtually and face to face. My role also involves making weekly welfare calls with student residents, checking if they are doing well physically and mentally during this challenging time. A special thank you to Yanqi and the other Residential Leaders for their inspiring work for their peers. Yanqi has been studying community development through her Masters of Social Work course and her work placement with the Sustainability Team last year.
Growing seedlings in her apartment. Photo by Yanqi Wang.
Creating art from recycled materials. Photo by Yanqi Wang.
Benefit of participating in online quizzes – socialising during COVID-19
During the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown the Sustainability Team designed, hosted and participated in a series of zoom-based quizzes. Two of these events served as a social engagement activity for past and present SIPS students and staff. Additionally, members of the Sustainability Team took part in a trivia night organised by the UTAS Landcare Society, UTAS Avian and UTAS Biological Sciences Clubs. The quizzes were loosely sustainability- related, and activities ranged from multiple- choice trivia, to matching change-the-world anthems to contestants, and even classic Sale of the Century ‘who am I?’ questions. The quizzes functioned not only as a great distraction from current events but also as a ‘get to know you’ activity between participants. Some of the questions elicited personal responses and explanations from contestants, for example: “peanut butter: crunchy or smooth?”. Other questions served as a stage for participants to demonstrate skills in certain types of thinking, for example: unjumbling sustainability-related words. The COVID-19 lockdown has dramatically changed our avenues of social and professional engagement and forced us to adapt to online alternatives. Continuation of meetings, productivity and UTAS-related events have been saved by using platforms like Microsoft Teams or Zoom and its breakout rooms. However, principles such as sense of community, social nourishment
and solidarity have been some of the hidden benefits also allowed to continue by pivoting communication to these online formats. The Sustainability Team acknowledges the intrinsic value of participating in or organising social events, either during the remainder, or following the COVID-19 period. These quizzes were a gentle reminder that we humans are truly social creatures. Moreover, although everyone has different social requirements, social engagement is a key component of good mental health. If you or someone you know are struggling during the transition out of the lockdown period then please visit: https://www.utas.edu.au/safety-and- wellbeing/health-wellbeing Trivia Quiz Night UTAS student clubs the Biological Sciences, Landcare and Avian clubs collaborated to host a very wonderful trivia quiz night! With seven rounds, featuring animal calls, photos and interesting facts, the event was a great way to end the semester. Congratulations to the students who organised the event Ellen-Rose Sorensen, Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol (Ink), Andi Magnusson, Peter Vaughn, Evie Drinnan, Katya Bandow and Nicola Potter. As one of the questions asked, can you name all 12 species of endemic Tasmanian birds?
Sustainability staff and SIPS Interns pondering the answers at a quiz.
Creating art from recycled materials. Photo by Yanqi Wang.
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Sustainability Bulletin • Issue 14 May/June 2020
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