STEWdent and Song
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
9th October, from 4 - 7 pm at The Kings Manor, York.
For this event we have collaborated with YSJ Living Lab and Singing Resistance York to bring you a climate-action-focused event- a feast for your ears, voice, stomach, and mind! This event is part of the York Environment Festival.
The aim is to give students of York St John University the chance to win extra funding for climate action projects already in progress. Whether they need to change their approach, or keep on growing.
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An event of two parts
First Part 4pm - This STEW event is a little different, as we are starting by inviting people to join us for a singing workshop with Singing Resistance York.
If you'd like to join us for singing and then continue on afterwards to eat and hear pitches, you can.
Second Part 5pm - Attendees are welcome to skip the first part of the event and join us from 5pm onward. At this point we are inviting people to join us to listen to three pitches and then to cast their vote on who should win the funding raised on the night.
Singing together to resist
Singing Resistance York are a community singing initiative that aims to create solidarity and connection, and builds resilience against the far-right and social injustice.
They'll begin the event with a 45-minute workshop to build a community atmosphere, where attendees are invited to learn powerful songs of climate resilience together. Those who do not wish to sing are welcome to join us from 5 pm onward.
How will the event work?
STEW is designed to connect like-minded people whilst raising funds for growing groups. It’s a space where we can come together, share a warming stew (hence the name), learn about one another's ideas, and make new connections.
Pitchers from YSJ University already have projects up and running that have been funded by the Living Lab's Friendly Living Fund, and their mission on the night is to let us know what they've learnt and how extra funding will allow them to grow or change - all in just 4 minutes!
After we've heard from all three students, there will then be a vote, and the winning pitch will win the majority of funding available that evening.
We're hoping the event will bring people together in solidarity and hope. To not only sing, eat and talk together, but also hear young people's vision for climate justice.
The prize pot
100% of the donations will support Friendly Living Fund projects, with a proportion going to the three projects being pitched on the evening and the remainder going to future Friendly Living Fund student-led projects
We know that everyone's financial situation is different and so (to make this event accessible to as many people as possible) we're offering a 'pay what you can' ticket system. Please contribute what feels right for you.
What inspired this idea?
The climate crisis has never been more visible and it can feel overwhelming at how little is being done to address its impacts and causes. We need more events that tackle this issue and bring it to the surface.
STEWdent and Song provides a space for people to come together in solidarity and hope. To not only sing, eat and talk together, but also hear young people's vision for climate justice.
York Together was inspired by microgranting dinners such as Detroit SOUP. You can read about Detroit SOUP on their website.
The SOUP model has been replicated in multiple places in the UK. One of York Together’s Members, Abigail Darton, was involved in Camden SOUP, and we are aware that SOUP was also run in York with the last one being in 2019.
There are some key differences to our community dinner, however. The foremost difference is that the focus is on gathering and relationships. The second is that all three pitches will receive some funding, rather than only one receiving the full prize pot. The third is that we will also be encouraging attendees to write down what they thought was great about each pitch so that this can be fed back to the pitchers after the event.
Our hope is that everyone that attends STEW will leave feeling energised, hopeful that change can happen and more connected to like-minded people.
Opportunity for learning
We are committed to trying different ways of gathering learning as well as different ways to get money to projects run by individuals and grassroots groups in York. This is the first time we've collaborated with York St John University to provide young people and their projects with funding.
We want to hear feedback from people before, during and after the event to help us learn what worked and what could be better. We also want to understand who has been excluded from this format.
You can email us at hello@yorktogether.org to give feedback. Please be aware that we work part-time flexible hours so it make time for us to respond.
Access and Inclusivity
We are committed to making our events as welcoming and inclusive for as many people as possible.
Two BSL Interpreters will be present at this event.
If you are planning to attend one of our events and have specific access requirements, including wheelchair access, then please contact us by e: events@yorksj.ac.uk or t: 01904 876318 and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
If you need a suitable seat reserved for you (and your companions), please let us know, preferably at least one week before the event.
Tell us if there is anything that we need to do to make it possible for you to attend and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements.
You contact York Together in a number of ways:
Parking
There is no parking for any vehicles on site and ANPR cameras are in operation 24/7.
We have a small number of Blue Badge spaces available, these spaces can only be used if guests have pre registered their number plates by emailing events@yorksj.ac.uk.
Registering your details does not guarantee a space, as they operate on a first come, first served basis. Please ensure your blude badge is displayed clearly in the vehicle.
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