Toyah from the Open Minds Society tells us all about her experience as a member, and how it’s defined her Loughborough experience.

What is your society all about?

Open Minds is a creative leadership platform. We welcome students to freely express themselves in a fun and creative environment by being involved in various aspects of the society. From working behind the scenes to creative expression, we recognise that people shine differently and Open Minds provides you with the opportunity to showcase your talents.

We’ve been lucky enough to have seen some talented spoken word artists, singers, dancers, actors and instrumentalists. We’ve also had students involved in leading dance choreography, writing event blogs and helping events promotion.

Irrespective of whether you have a creative talent to showcase, this society is still the place for you! We are open to anyone who wants to learn more about how to be the best version of themselves, and have fun at the same time. We aim to empower the young with tools to be great, therefore our events enable students to develop as people and most importantly as leaders.

We also encourage character development through our workshops, with the aim of teaching key transferable skills such as public speaking and leadership beneficial for everyday life, in a safe and fun environment!

What sort of events are put on by the society?

In previous years, we have created a wealth of intriguing events that have positively impacted the student experiences of many. Previous events have ranged from drama showcases, to interactive skill-based workshops and open-mic nights.

‘Say Your Piece’ was an event which aimed to develop students’ public speaking skills. We had two amazing speakers to join us; award-winning motivational speaker and author Hayley Mulenda, and poet and author Ismael Musoke.

‘My Passion, My Purpose’ was our society’s first ever drama showcase which provided students with the opportunity to develop talents of interest as well as showcase existing talents.

Why, when and how did you join?

I had some friends on committee, this meant that from the beginning of first year I was constantly kept up-to-date about their latest events and projects. After discovering more about the society at their meet and greet, I then found myself attending almost every event thereafter. All events were interesting and enjoyable! It was super easy to get involved and I simply signed up on the LSU website!

Best or most memorable moments from your time with the society?

Definitely the ‘My Passion, My Purpose’ showcase. I got given a small acting role and was quite excited about it. I also got to meet some nice people during rehearsals and overall the experience boosted my confidence.

Describe your society in three words…

Different. Mind-blowing. Empowering.

What would you say to someone considering joining?

There is no other society within Loughborough that is quite like Open Minds! With an annual membership of only £5, it’s great value for money! Join us to experience the time of your life with good people, good food and good vibes.

Anything else we should know?

Our efforts to improve the student experiences of our members was recently recognised by Milkround, for which we were awarded with the 2017 Milkround Society Award. If that doesn’t show how amazing we are, what does?!

Interested in finding out more? Contact Open Minds via their social media channels here: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat: Openmindslsu, YouTube.

LSU has a huge range of societies – you can find the list of all 115+ societies here.

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