The Sussex societies keeping us going through Lockdown

Lockdown 3.0 brings new challenges – with many of us stuck in our homes, we are worlds away from our ‘normal’ uni experience. People may be feeling isolated or alone being away from other students. Luckily, Sussex’s societies have come through. Many have been running weekly events, with over 30 societies creating Discord servers for communities to form.

Here’s a quick rundown of some weekly events that societies have been putting on!

Album Listening Society

A post shared by Sussex Uni Craft Society (@sussexals)

A new society formed only last year, ALS has been thriving in lockdown, running weekly sessions via their Discord server. All you need is an internet connection and a speaker or headphones to enjoy their musical explorations. Every Monday at 7:30 an album is played and discussions and ratings follow. You can vote on which album to listen to on their Facebook page.

Sci-Fi and Horror Society

More into watching something spooky? Check out Sci-Fi and Horror soc, who host weekly watch-alongs at 7 pm every Tuesday, again on their Discord.

Craft Society

A post shared by Sussex Uni Craft Society (@sussexcraftsoc)

For total transparency here, I’m very biased being on the committee, but Craft Soc has been one of my personal lockdown highlights. Every Wednesday afternoon from 3-5 jump on Zoom with your crafty supplies and join for a chill session. Sessions are themed with various crafts on offer, including somewhere you can purchase ‘packs’ of materials to create them, but anyone is welcome to join with anything. From origami to knitting to bunting making you can explore many crafts, made as accessible as possible. 

Who Society

Are you into your Dr Who? Who Soc hosts a weekly watch-along of classic Dr Who episodes from 6 pm every Wednesday in their Discord.

Liberate The Debate

If you’ve ever been on Sussfessions you’ll know about LtD. Join them on Wednesdays from 7 pm on their discord for open debates around a variety of questions – from the silly to the philosophical. It’s a lively experience unlike many others during lockdown.

Video Gaming Society

Want a chill gaming night in? VGS hosts weekly game nights at 6 pm on Thursdays – all with free to access games. The Discord in general is also great for finding people to play your own favourite games with at any time!

Anime & Manga Society

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Into your Anime? Anime Soc hosts weekly watch-alongs on Fridays at 6 pm, with their most recent being a collaboration with the Uni of Massachusetts! Showcasing both movies and series, you’re sure to find something new and exciting.

Brainstorming Society 

Brainstorming Society is hosting a huge collaborative ‘unofficial Freshers Fair’ on the 12th February from 1-7 pm – a great space to check out more societies, including those listed above. They’re also hosting the ‘InterSoc Gauntlet’- a term-long competitive event involving many societies over the whole Spring term.

More information on the featured societies and the countless others active at Sussex can be found here. The Sussex unofficial Discord server has a whole collection of other society discords for you to explore, as well as the Student Union’s ‘What’s On’ page. 

Here’s hoping we can meet up soon. But for now, let’s get all the social contact we can, however, we can.