Exeplore

Exeter Student Nightline is a confidential and anonymous listening service run by trained volunteers for students at the University of Exeter. In this episode of Explore we talk with Lily Margaroli about her time as Nightline Co-President and how it will help her become a better Students’ Guild president. Listen out for Lily’s top tips on how we can all improve our active listening skills.

• Nightline offers support for students every night of term from 8pm – 1am. Click here to access Exeter’s Student Nightline’s services
• Need to get in touch with wellbeing services? Students based in Exeter can find contact details here
• If you are a Cornwall student, please click here to contact the Wellbeing team for Cornwall campuses
• More information about procrastination and perfectionism can be accessed on the wellbeing webpages.

TikTok, the short-video app has taken the social media world by storm, with many people using it to build start-ups and personal brands. So are we clocking an easy way to build a successful business and if not, what other benefits does being an entrepreneur on Tik Tok bring at a time of global change? In this episode, we discuss this and more with Raphael Dennett, the Deputy Director at our Centre for Entrepreneurship.

When it comes to trying to reduce our carbon footprint and make changes in the face of the climate emergency, local knowledge from communities is vital, according to Professor Patrick Devine-Wright. It's something he knows about on a practical level as well as an academic one, as he talks about his role as Chair of the Devon Carbon Plan and the actions needed to reach net zero in the county. We also discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate policy and changes in recent years to the narrative.

Spending time in nature can boost our mental health but can experiencing nature digitally have a similar impact? This is one of the ideas which PhD student, Alex Smalley, has been exploring alongside the BBC in the ‘Virtual Nature’ experiment. In this episode we catch up with Alex to talk about how technology can combine with nature to improve wellbeing. 

If you want to take part in the Virtual Nature experiment you can do so at https://www.bbc.co.uk/soundscapesforwellbeing

In this episode of Exeplore, we celebrate International Women’s Day! Colleagues across the University have been nominating inspirational women that they work with for recognition. We couldn't speak to everyone (unfortunately), so we caught up with three women with different recent experiences - Associate Professor Victoria Tischler who’s new to the University, Shades Chaudhary who has been a student, Guild President and now works in our Equality Diversity and Inclusion team and Cath Ashenden who works in IT for our Cornwall campus and has changed roles during lockdown.

You can check out all the inspirational nominees here and our International Women’s Day events here.

What is it like to be the Presidents of a Students' Union in the middle of a pandemic? How do you support students while the country is in lockdown? In this episode, we’re joined by Cara Chittenden, Students’ Union President Exeter, and Charlotte Agnew, SU President Welfare and Inclusivity, who share their views on becoming Presidents during COVID-19. They also talk about some of the initiatives they've been using this year to help everyone stay connected in an online world.

The University of Exeter has two campuses in Cornwall: Penryn and Truro. Our Penryn campus is shared with Falmouth University, so our students in Cornwall are represented by the Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union. You can find out more about the Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union here, and access student wellbeing resources here. 

During this episode, Assistant Director of Grounds, Iain Park, joins us as we explore why the grounds at Streatham Campus offer a great space for students, staff, animals and plants to thrive in. We also talk about what impact the Coronavirus lockdown had on the grounds in spring 2020. If you’re interested in keeping up to date with what’s going on in the grounds follow them on Instagram https://bit.ly/3qC2dCP. More information about the Wellbeing Walks Iain talks about can also be found on the website: http://ex.ac.uk/crh

A good or bad reputation used to be something that only celebrities or politicians had to worry about, but with the advent of social media, the way we’re regarded can now have an impact on any one of us. Businesses too are ever-mindful of how their actions might be viewed by their customers. So how important a role does reputation play in our lives, and what should we do about it if things go wrong? 

The USA has gone through one of the most tumultuous times in its history. As Joe Biden takes the reins as the 46^th President, what challenges does the country face? How split is the nation and what might the future hold?

In this episode we chat to the President of the Students’ Guild in Exeter, Sunday Blake. She shares her hopes for term 2, advice for anyone thinking of running in the Students’ Guild elections and why she loves working with students. We also explored the challenges of working during COVID-19, her passion for student wellbeing and why the Students’ Guild have been reaching out on social media and by phone. You can find more info on the Students’ Guild here, and University of Exeter Wellbeing resources here.