One of the greatest things about working at Imperial this year has been seeing the enthusiasm from students for campaigns and projects they feel passionate about. Imperial is incredibly diverse and with that diversity obviously comes a huge number of benefits (just look at the number of Clubs, Societies & Projects we have!) but also the potential for problems.
Last year the Sabbatical team were approached by a student on the issue of being LGBT in Sport, following on from a report by the NUS highlighting the problems around the perception of the culture around sport in the LGBT community. The survey showed that nearly 50% of LGBT students find the culture around sport alienating or unwelcoming, with 20% feeling at risk of verbal or physical abuse. We’ve had our Safe Space Policy in place for nearly a year now and so we like to think we’re doing pretty well towards creating an inclusive atmosphere at Imperial. We’re now doing some research to find out more about your perceptions of the sporting community.
Working with our LGBT officer and the Representation and Campaigns Co-ordinator we've just launched a survey as part of the Inclusive Sport campaign. This is just the start of our campaign and we’ll be working on utilising the research that we collect over the next few months so keep an eye out for more to follow. If you'd be interested in getting involved with the campaign please do get in touch.
If you've got any free time (it's an excellent revision break...) I'd really urge you to fill it in, you can find the link to it here: Out in Sport survey . The survey is open to absolutely anyone to fill in whether you’re active in sport (formal or informal) or not sporty at all. We’re particularly keen to hear from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) students at Imperial.
We’re here to try and make sure as many student enjoy their time at university. As part of the Union’s Sports Strategy we are committed to ensuring “ sport and physical activity is inclusive and is perceived to be inclusive to all its members. This includes cost, activity or activity or campus location, gender, sexual orientation, nationality and any physical disabilities do not form barriers to taking part in sport at Imperial College ”. Thousands of our students get involved in Sport each year and we want to make sure it’s accessible for all. Sport teaches valuable skills in leadership and teamwork and it’s so great that we have it available to all, so let us know why you are/aren’t involved
