Community & Culture

6,637+*

Total student engagements

*excluding Market Days

The Community and Culture portfolio helps students to build and maintain positive social relations by creating a safe and inclusive environment and culture that develops a sense of belonging to peers, the University, and the community. This sense of belonging provides the foundation for sustained student success by providing a universitybased support network for when student life becomes challenging.

Coming out of COVID-19 lock downs in the earlier part of the year, there were student concerns around isolation and the need to re-connect with peers and student life more broadly. This was evidenced through large attendances at several social connection and ‘friend making’ events which started the year strong and laid a solid foundation for campus re-activation. Of the thousands of event attendances, the most impressive for the year was the annual Guild Ball, which achieved a 24% increase to host 852 students at a single social event. This replaces the Guild Race Day as the largest event following a Guild decision to withdraw this event after 22 years, in response to changing student values.

In lieu of Race Day, the team trialled a new event designed to enhance both social connection and campus culture through ‘AMP Week’ which stands for Arts, Music, and Performances. This included showcases of student art exhibitions, a short film screening, comedy night, live music pop ups, a live mural art demonstration, and ‘Big AMP’ as the showpiece event of the week. Three hundred and sixty students attended ‘Big AMP’ which was a Griffith University student exclusive music festival hosted at Southport Broadwater Parklands. The event featured nationally recognised music artists, picnic/chill out zones, food trucks, pop up bars, and a carnival ride to produce a truly unique and engaging atmosphere. These activities contributed to the Gold Coast campus’s reputation as the most active and engaged campus at Griffith University and helped meet University objectives in re-activating campus.

To further achieve this goal, a major research and consultation project was undertaken in enhancing the Guild’s understanding and development of unique student diversity segments. These included a research collaboration piece with the University, and had 181 participating students identifying as; LGBTQIA+, mature age, culturally and linguistic diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, experiencing a disability, having carer responsibilities, experiencing mental health challenges, and/or having rural and remote backgrounds. The goal of the study was to establish how to make the campus more vibrant, create a stronger sense of community, meet the needs of the diverse student population, and ensure everyone feels a sense of belonging at Griffith Gold Coast. The results were a comprehensive list of opportunities and recommendations which were activated through a partnership with Griffith to achieve the launch of new student clubs, development of new cultural events, a Pronoun Pro workshop, a low sensory space, specialised orientation support for mature age students, and an innovative Student Hub concept trial, providing an informal study/social space to hang out in between classes.

In addition to launching new diversity based clubs, it was also terrific to see existing clubs launch their own diversity and inclusion initiatives. In only its second year, the 2022 Guild Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion was presented to the Griffith University Women in Engineering Club as one of 24 nominations. This result is evidence that the strength and support of diversity and inclusion initiatives is expanding beyond the Student Guild’s direct programs and into peer led environments.

Social Event Attendance

12 Market Days

15,032 meals sold

Lunch in the Sun

Arts, Music & Performances Week

2,205 total attendance

55 attendees

5 days / 16 events Student Art Exhibition Open Night

Provided bean bags and shade on the Library Lawn on sunny days to encourage students to take a break outside and enjoy the campus atmosphere

DIVERSITY

INCLUSION

Respect Festival

New

700 attendees (approx.)

Twilight Cricket

30 attendees

IDAHOBIT Pride March

60 attendees (approx.) Drag Bingo

Coffee Catch Up for Students with a Disability

14 total attendance

6 Mature Age Student Morning Teas

220 total attendance

Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award

24 nominations

3 finalists

Awarded to Griffith University

Women in Engineering