Spring 2012 issue (pdf) - York St John University

NEWS
Pioneering
project on housing
adaptation
Maria Parks, Senior Lecturer in
Occupational Therapy and Head
of the Centre for Enabling
Environments and Assistive
Technology, is leading a project
which will systematically review
and map research relating to
housing adaptation for
disabled people.
Maria Parks
The three-year project, called genHOME,
is funded by the College of Occupational
Therapists Specialist Section – Housing
(COTSS), supported by the UK Occupational
Therapy Research Foundation (UKOTRF)
and Pressalit Care plc.
The £30,000 project aims to develop a
methodology to evaluate the effectiveness
of housing adaptations and solutions for
disabled people. The findings will then be
used for future researchers and clinicians to
use in practice. Maria will work with
occupational therapists and other
stakeholders to create an accessible
information database; she will also evaluate
the usability of the project resources and
assess their impact in practice settings.
Find out more about the genHOME project
at www.yorksj.ac.uk/genhome
The rise of Yorkulele
Music students at York St John
are encouraged to form new
ensembles, and there have
been some highly visible and
audible successes such as the
Big Band and the Gospel Choir,
but perhaps the most popular
and also most unexpected is
Yorkulele.
Ralph Bateman, Senior Lecturer and
University Director of Music, explained,
“Yorkulele was started by a mature
student, Jonathan Betz, in 2008, and the
visual impact of their first outing was
unforgettable. Each of the 20 or so
players was clothed in the same colour
as their instrument, several of which
were bright pink. The current orchestra
of about 24 players may be most familiar
through their performances at lunchtime
concerts, the chaplain’s Thanksgiving
Service, the Winter Ball and our Carol
Service in York Minster, but they also
do an impressive number of other
performances in the city, many for
charities including Fairtrade, Oxfam and
Red Nose Day.
“They played at the Galtres Beer
Festival in 2010; they also featured in the
York Barbican Xmas Carols last year and
played in care homes and hospitals, ran
a workshop at the York Carnival, and met
the Mayor of York after playing at a Royal
Wedding street party in Little Stonegate.
It seems remarkable that they can also fit
in any academic work, but they do also
get degrees and go on to use ukuleles in
schools, community music settings and
even companies’ training days.
“Several members of staff have asked me
about the possibility of being in a ukulele
group and I would be happy to help to set
one up. Please E: r.bateman@yorksj.ac.uk
to help me ascertain if there is enough
support for the idea.”
Yorkulele in the snow.
Research
news
Thinking Out Loud is an annual student
researchers’ conference that is an
opportunity for students to present their
research projects conducted either as part
of the Student as Researchers scheme or
for their dissertations. Thinking Out Loud
2011 took place on 23 November and
was attended by students from across the
University, giving them a chance to network
and find out about research, related
learning opportunities and experiences.
Feedback from the conference highlighted
the exciting ideas that were created around
research. One of the participants said that
what they liked most about the event
was “the positivity that exuded from the
speakers and the excitement about the role
of Student Researcher that was created.”
Another participant said, “I’m more aware
of the variety of research opportunities. I
would consider applying for a research
project as a student and can imagine
research being an interesting future career.
This is something that I hadn’t expected
when I applied for university.”
Thinking Out Loud will take place again
this autumn and the call for papers will be
announced at the beginning of the 2012
academic year. For more information,
including the conference video or student
researcher opportunities, please visit
www.yorksj.ac.uk/ltd/ltd.aspx or contact
Lena Henderson, E: l.henderson@yorksj.
ac.uk. Also see pages 8-9 for more details
about Learning & Teaching Development.
Widening participation
Paramjeet Kaur-Singh, Black Minority
Ethnic (BME) Project Leader, reports
on her latest projects.
Turkish women and English
Language Buddies
English Language Buddies is a
volunteering project involving home
and international students supporting
Turkish women living and working in York.
It has been set up to improve the
women’s English whilst visiting art
galleries, museums and theatre in York.
The student volunteers were recruited
through an advert put out by an
international graduate intern in Careers
and they initially attended a cultural
awareness session. This has been a
particularly enjoyable learning
experience for both the Turkish women
and the student buddies.
Bharathanatyam: Indian
classical dance
An Indian classical dance project will
showcase the talents of a group of South
Asian students currently studying the
Bharathanatyam dance form. It will take
place on 28 April in Temple Hall and has
been organised with the assistance of
the families of the performing students,
all coached and trained by Sanjeewa
Winojith, an international student who
graduated last year with an MA in
Applied Theatre. The event will also
launch a South Asian Association with a
view to promoting, maintaining and
celebrating the diverse cultures of the
Asian communities living in York. Funds
will be raised at this event for Save the
Children.
BME Guide
I am working on the final stages of the
BME Guide to enhance higher education
opportunities for BME learners. The guide is
based on activities and research conducted
in partnership with the Sangat Community
Centre in Keighley, West Yorkshire. The
research included focus groups with Asian
men and women of different ages and
different educational achievements, all of
whom participated in York St John courses.
A seminar and launch of the BME Guide
will take place in May.
A workshop for the Turkish
women’s group
06
Discussion groups during the 2011
Thinking Out Loud conference.
07