Hello and welcome to the Society section of the Gryphon, where we will keep you up to date with all the exciting events put on by the 300+ societies at the University of Leeds. We’re keen to shine a light on the amazing things that societies do here while reporting on the innovative ways they continue to build communities despite the ongoing restrictions. Here is a tiny taster of what societies are on offer this year.
Who?
Women in Leadership
What?
We empower female students at their future workplaces through various events with help from our sponsors and partners. We believe in diversity and inclusion whilst staying open minded and professional!This year’s sponsors include companies like Google, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Citi, etc.
Because of COVID, we prepared an entire contingency plan, both for professional and social events, moving some of our initiatives to online resources and events. We want to stay as active as possible so stay tuned with our social media, website and events! We will also be organising fun, social events.
Where?
www.luu.org.uk/women-in-leadership
Facebook: Leeds Women in Leadership Society
Who?
Jiu Jitsu
What?
We are a friendly, welcoming martial arts club. We teach self-defence focusing on throwing, striking and locking in a safe environment. We practice multiple different scenarios in our sessions and allow our members to learn at a pace that suits them.
Due to social distancing guidelines, the best representation of our club’s vibrant social scene is from previous years. As well as regular post training meet-ups, we have a wide range of inclusive socials. Last year these included trampolining, movie nights, bowling, and nights out. Throughout the year we make regular trips around the country to train with other clubs. We train and compete regionally and nationally with the best instructors in The Jiu Jitsu Foundation.
As a result of COVID-19, we adapted to weekly online sessions which focused on technique and fitness. We ran weekly online socials, from movie nights to game show quizzes. We also participated in a running challenge over July in which we ran a total of 320.5km.
Where?
www.luu.org.uk/jiu-jitsu
Facebook: LUU Jiu Jitsu Club
Who?
Irish Dancing
What?
We hold regular Irish dancing classes that are suitable for all abilities, from beginner level to advanced. Lessons take place twice a week with classes for both heavy shoe and light shoe. There are plenty of opportunities to perform throughout the year at events such as our society Christmas show, the LUU dance show and St Patrick’s Day celebrations. We welcome all students and non-students, and can’t wait to meet lots of new faces!
Since lockdown began, we have enjoyed organising many virtual events to replace our usual classes and socials. Our regular dance challenges proved to be particularly popular amongst our members. To keep everyone occupied at home, we held a variety of Zoom socials.
Due to the current circumstances we haven’t finalised plans for this semester yet, however we are hopefully going to take part in a virtual dance competition and also organise a virtual Christmas show.
Where?
www.luu.org.uk/irish-dancing
Facebook: LUU Irish Dancing Society
Who?
Comic and Graphic Novels
What?
At its heart, Comic Soc is a friendly group of geeks who meet up for a social every Tuesday evening. We host a large variety of different Tuesday socials, including evenings in the pub, bowling, movie screenings, laser quest, and, of course, our legendary Otley Runs. We also have a large comic collection to borrow from and have plenty of one-off events like con trips and midnight screenings.
Once term starts up again we are dedicated to continuing this precious geeky community in Leeds and running some form of event every week as normal! So far, we have trialled out online quizzes, interactive film viewings, collaborative games nights, and even a “Quarantine and Quills” edition of our famous “Pints and Pencils” event. We also have also developed a new resource: an online comic book library! Stay tuned as we have some exciting new online events, as well as some never seen before collaborations in the pipeline that you will not want to miss.
Where?
www.luu.org.uk/comics-graphic-novels
Facebook: LUU Comic and Graphic Novel Society
Feature Image: Irish Dance Society