EKC Folkestone College students filled the Welcome building today for the annual Freshers Fair, welcoming both brand new and returning students to the College.
The College buzzed with activity his week as the annual Freshers’ Fair kicked off the academic year, giving students a taste of College life with fun activities, free sweets, and fantastic networking opportunities.
The campus was lined with a variety of interesting stalls, from free sexual health advice from Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust to counselling and well-being services from Lighthouse 43 to Safe Road Users Kent’s “drunk goggles” reaction speed challenge, the day offered something for every student to discover and enjoy. Stall holders offered guidance on mental health, support available at College, as well as ways local community offerings such as Folkestone Youth Project: The Shed Urban Wilderness.
Our Student Experience Officer was at the event, sharing how important the Freshers Fair is to our students. Scarlett shared: “The Freshers Fair is a great way for our students to interact with local businesses. There are lots of different stalls here today from Emmaus Dover to Chloe Scott Dance Company. The sexual health nurse has seemed to be very popular so far. It’s just great to see all the students getting involved with the stalls and meeting new people.”
Amongst the stalls there were also local businesses such as The Folkestone Bookshop, Leas Cliff Hall and local authorities such as Safe Road Users Kent, Kent Police and Lifeguard Folkestone. They offered support to learners as well as explaining how students could get involved and do their part to support the community.
Safe Road Users Kent were there today to help share awareness and the deadly consequences of drink driving to our students. The Drunk Google Challenge was a huge hit with many students. The game involved wearing goggles that give you a similar blurry vision to when you are intoxicated, students then had to react to pressing lights on a metal structure as quickly as they could within a certain timeframe. They then did the game without the goggles, and their scores were compared to show them how your reaction speed is dramatically affected under the influence of alcohol.
Millie who currently studies Level 2 Hairdressing loved the event and being able to take part. They shared: “I‘ve enjoyed coming to the Freshers Fair today, it‘s nice to meet local businesses and network with my friends.”
Site Carpentry student James said the Sexual Health stall as one of their highlights, adding: “It’s great to be able to have things like this as there’s information, I wasn’t aware of, so this has been really helpful for me today.”
The energy throughout the Freshers’ Fair has set the tone for the year ahead and we look forward to a year of success, growth, and plenty of exciting SU events to enjoy.
Thank you to all the companies who attended, including:
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Leas Cliff Hall (ATG Entertainment)
KaMCOP (Kent and Medway Community Outreach Programme)
If you have any further questions or would like to get involved with the SU this academic year, you can find Scarlett in the Student Centre or learn more online.
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