Tuesday 01-11-2016 - 00:00

Name: Sarah Wilson

 

Role: I am the President of GCU SIGN. My role is being the main point of contact of the society and to oversee the activities while motivating and supporting my fellow committee members, Alison and Rachel.

 

1) What does your society do?

GCU Sign is for people interested in learning Sign Language and raising Deaf Awareness. Everyone is welcome to join. It is a social group where we can meet up, practise signing and learn from each other. We are a new society that has started this trimester at university so we are currently finding our feet. We started after Fresher’s week, so we missed out in engaging with all the new students starting this year. So the last 6 weeks we have been busy! We had a stall at university, an interview slot on Radio Caley, a Meet & Greet at Malones, a mini Meet up on uni campus and we had our first joint collaboration for Halloween with 7 other societies which was great fun. We are currently planning some ‘Come & try’ events and a social event to visit the Theatre with a sign performance. Trimester two will be the main focus on learning sign language, raising deaf awareness, events, visits and collaborating with other societies.

 

2) Why did you get involved in societies?

 

When I first started GCU last year, I met Lynn Pilkington at a Societies Fayre and enquired IF there was a Sign Language Society and she told me that there wasn’t but there use to be one couple of years ago. She said to me “Why don’t you start one?!”. At the time, it was only a couple of weeks into my First Year and I was still trying to adjust to university life, I wasn’t that confident and I didn’t really know anyone. Throughout my first year at university Lynn’s words of “Why don’t you start one?! echoed in my thoughts. So the first week into my Second Year I knocked on Lynn’s door and asked her “How do I start a new Society?”. From there she put me in touch with so many different people I could contact and received a lot of great advice and support. So at the beginning it was just one person with an idea. I went to the Committee Bootcamp on Week One and engaged with lots of amazing inspiring people who ran other GCU societies. I met Alison through volunteering at Fresher’s Week with the Student Association and through word of mouth, Rachel got in touch with me. GCU Sign has blossomed the last 6 weeks that we are currently planning to increase our committee members to help assist, support and shape the future of GCU Sign.

 

3) What is the best part about being in a society?

 

Meeting new people with similar interests and collaborating with other societies. I have learnt a lot in a short amount of time from other society committee members.

 

4) If you could do one thing in the world what would it be and why?

 

To have the power to bring BSL (British Sign Language) lessons into Primary & Secondary education. Sign language is not just a means of communication with a deaf person but it can also be a very effective learning tool.

 

5) If you could live with one celebrity who would it be?

 

Princess Diana. She was the Patron for the BDA (British Deaf Association) and with learning BSL she made a public presentation in BSL. While attending a screening called the ‘Power in Our Hands’ we learnt that she was very inspirational to the Deaf community worldwide for her compassion, kindness, and charity work.