As the year goes on, there are plenty of activities and societies to become involved with. ‘Life in John’s’ Editor Maddy Chammings interviews the President of St John’s Feminist Society, Martha Thornycroft, to find out more about what they do.
Halfway through the year, many students will have already found societies within John’s and beyond to make friends and fill the time spent between procrastinating summatives. Despite this, the best thing about Durham (and John’s specifically) is that there are always new societies emerging – whether they be newly formed or resurrected from dormancy.
Within John’s, we are lucky that despite our small size, we have a diverse array of sports and societies to choose from. One of these new societies is the St John’s Feminist Society, founded by second year Martha Thornycroft at the beginning of the academic year.
Martha, the President, had become aware of the wide network of university feminist associations, especially amongst other colleges, and realised John’s was missing out. Gaining inspiration from St John’s Feminist Book Club, she sought to create a similar society that had a more dynamic approach to discussing feminist issues.
Martha says how the society hosts numerous “informal discussion groups” throughout termtime and discuss current affairs through a feminist lens, keeping their topics relevant and engaging to all. She mentioned how the wide range of degree courses studied by attendees was enriching to the diversity of the discussion, so the subject of your course should not put you off from joining!
As the society is in its early stages, Martha says how she is eager to hear suggestions on the activities of the society. Inter-collegiate feminist society socials, film screenings, ‘Paint and Sip’ events and fundraising for charities are all in the works, highlighting the range of things to get involved with.
The key message Martha wants to convey? “Anyone can get involved!” Definitely make sure to keep tabs and follow their account on Instagram – stjohnsfemsoc – for updates!
Image Credit: Martha Thornycroft
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