Westminster is joining the #WeAreTogether campaign!

We want to bring you together in sharing positivity highlighting our unity and mutual support for each other in our Westminster way as we find our way through the Covid19 outbreak together. 

We know many of you may be far away from your home and family. We want you to know you are not alone. We want you to take to social media to:

• Thank the key workers, university and SU staff, and fellow students who are helping you to stay positive throughout this time

• Share positive stories about the ways you are adapting to life under lockdown. For example –how are you and your classmates coming together to learn online? How are you entertaining yourselves? How do you keep in touch with your friends and family? Are you undertaking any volunteer work?

• Encourage your fellow students to reach out for help from their University, Students’ Union or a friend if they need it 

Please share your stories and experiences, through photo, video or just words, using the hashtags #WeAreTogether and #WeAreWestminster and tag us @UniWestminster.

Why are students joining this campaign? 

In the words of one UUK #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador: 

“In face of a pandemic that transcends borders, our response must likewise go beyond borders. This is why I have joined the #WeAreTogether campaign and encourage my peers to do so as well. University education has always been highly international, so these communities must lead in solidarity during this global crisis. We as students, scholars, faculty, and staff must show our love and support for one another. Though we must physically distance ourselves, we can show we care for the people that make up our university communities by joining the #WeAreTogether campaign on social media and reaching out online.” 

Katie Crabtree, Leeds Trinity University (PHD), USA 

What can you do?

Think about what has made a difference to you and what you could post - could you make a thank-you sign for the cleaners who are ensuring your halls of residence are clean and safe? Could you work with your lecturers to showcase the fun side of online learning? Could you make videos showing the ways you and your friends are keeping in touch? Zoom–based dinner parties? House-party quiz? Balcony table tennis? 

To get you started, here are three ideas you could consider:

1)    A short video message
•  Briefly introduce yourself (name, university, where you’re from etc).
•  "I'd like to thank ...." - give a personal thank you to someone who has helped/supported or  reassured you during this difficult time.
•  Show solidarity with your international student peers.
• Finish by saying "we are together" in your first language.

2)    A picture message
•  Write a thank you to a specific group of people (e.g. "Thank you, University accommodation cleaners. #WeAreTogether") on a white piece of card or paper and submit a photo of you holding it up.
•  Keep the text short and large so people can read it.

3)    A thank you note
•  A longer, more detailed social media post written as a direct thank you letter to an individual who's been a supportive or important presence through this difficult time.

4)    A blogpost 
•  Do you have any interesting stories, indoor exercises tips or recipes for local delicacies that you would like to share with your fellow international students during the lockdown? 

Why don’t you write a blogpost for us! Please get in touch with Martyn Davies on [email protected]. For inclusion in the international outreach only.

Please use the #WeAreTogether and #WeAreWestminster hashtags in any of your social media posts which feature positive and supportive messages in relation to the Covid19 outbreak or email them to [email protected]. We want to spread positivity, support and gratitude.