Finding Your Community in our Student Networks

In a recent survey from the Students’ Association, many UHI students commented that they wanted more community. The importance of community and a sense of belonging should come as no surprise. As a species, community and belonging has helped us survive and thrive since we began coming together to hunt huge prehistoric beasts. In modern society, community can be a place you go to for support, advice, resources, or it can also just be a space to socialize with people who share similar interests.  

Community is especially essential for those who may not find a sense of belonging in a wider social context.  For example, a traditional sense of belonging to a university community may be difficult for online students who don’t live in the same locale as their peers.  International students might struggle with a sense of belonging because of language or cultural barriers. Or a broader community might not meet their needs simply because they want to do some of the tourist things that locals tend to ignore. 

Sometimes, students with protected characteristics may not wish to discuss the impact of discrimination on their student experience with a wider population. After all, sometimes you just need to talk with someone else who “gets” it.  For students who face issues of underrepresentation, marginalization, injustice, or lack of access—intentional community building offers a safe space to share experiences without the threat of encountering more discrimination. Those intentional communities can offer empathy, resources, support, and even lead to action. To help facilitate more opportunities to create and discover community, we are introducing a new type of student group: Student Networks. 

A Student Network is a community of your fellow students, with specific shared characteristics, who come together to support one another, discuss experiences, tackle important issues, participate in activities and events, campaign for justice, find resources, and much more! We wholeheartedly acknowledge and affirm the diverse and valid identities of all individuals. We recognize that gender, race, sex, ability, religion, age, and sexual orientation can be deeply personal, complicated, and integral aspect of one's self.  And because of the complexity and uniqueness of identity, we understand that it is important to have safe spaces to meet others who may share some of your experiences. For this reason, we have created the following networks:  

• The Pride Network, for LGBTQI+ students and allies;  

• The Women’s Network, for those who identify as women or experience oppression based in misogyny;  

• The Accessibility Network, for disabled students and those with additional access needs; 

• The Students of Colour Network, for students who experience discrimination due to racial or ethnic difference; 

• The Neurodiversity Network, for students who identify as having atypical or diverse brain function 

• The Digital Network, for students who primarily attend online or networked courses 

• The International Network, for international students who come from outside the UK 

In order to preserve the privacy of members and maintain the integrity of a student-only safe space, our Student Networks use Discord as the primary membership and discussion platform.  To join, visit https://hisa.ukmsl.net/groups/networks/ and login with your student information. When you “Join” or purchase a FREE membership, you will be given the private link to join the discord and create username.