Our U Belong Week recap

T2 U Belong Week

Even though we were hoping to see your faces on campus for U Belong Week, we had to move our events online as the current COVID-19 outbreak left us no choice. Nevertheless, it was great to come together via Zoom and celebrate inclusiveness and diversity with you!

In the current climate, now more than ever we need a sense of belonging. We want all students to feel part of the DUSA community - these are the events and activations that we were running online to make everyone feel welcome:

Dinosaur Squad

We came together on Monday, 23 August for a fun night of queer networking, including a screening of “The Roar!!!", a story about dinosaurs and Pride, and a Panel Discussion.

“The Roar!!!" was written by Sally Conning and Jax Wake - who have a 58-year age difference and a love of dinosaurs. The story reflects their own journeys to pride and what they have learned from each other. The film reflects the pride journeys of creators Sally Conning and Jax Wake, which led to the creation of the ‘Dinosaur Squad’, a group of Story-telling QUeers Against Discrimination.

U Belong Online Showcase

Our DUSA Clubs have been working hard to put together a cheerful Online Showcase for all of us to get together and celebrate inclusion and diversity on Tuesday, 24 August. There were live performances by Deakin Voice, the Deakin University Nepali Society, the Deakin University Sri Lankan Association, Deakin Sustainable Food Movement, and others and many prizes to be won.

Virtual Food Pantry

Nothing makes you feel like U Belong like food!
In correlation with fellow student Kathya's cooking workshop on Thursday, 26 August, 250 x$30 Gift Vouchers could be claimed on Wednesday, 25 August.

Wear it Purple Day

Friday, 27 August was Wear It Purple Day. We would like to say thanks for the messages and experiences you shared with us on Instagram in support of our LGBTIQ+ community. We at DUSA want everyone to live free of prejudice and discrimination, so thanks for striving to foster a supportive, safe and empowering environment for everyone!

Wear it Purple Day 2021’s theme is focused on the important and necessary conversations we have in our daily life; that centre around sexual orientation and gender identity. It aims to remind people that the issues we reflect on Wear it Purple Day should not only be considered on that particular day… but every day. We want to encourage rainbow community members and their allies to share their stories, to gently educate on LGBTIQ+ issues, to start these conversations … And continue them 365 days of the year.

Learn more about Wear it Purple Day here:
www.wearitpurple.org

Zoo Zoom Session

At our Zoo Session on Friday, 27 August, you were able to get up and close with Australian wildlife. The session was hosted by Wild Action Zoologist Chris Humfrey, who has amazingly encyclopedic knowledge! Filmed & digitally broadcast from Wild Action Zoo, everyone got a behind-the-scenes tour of the fascinating wildlife facility in Chris' very own backyard.

If you have missed it, you can watch it here:

Thanks for attending and participating, everyone! We hope we could lighten up your lockdown a little bit with chats, performances, and some cuteness overload.
We are looking forward to Wellness Week in late September. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!