Following the occupation of the chapel lecture theatre in early November by students from End Fossil Falmouth, the SU has committed to helping support the creation of people’s assemblies, with the aim of facilitating conversations about the climate and ecological crisis.
The organising student committee did a wonderful job of hosting the first assembly which took place on Wednesday 7 December 2022, which was open to students, all staff from both institutions and members of the public. There were 88 people in attendance, myself included, who had the opportunity to discuss the topic of climate and ecological crises on our campus.
The discussion was formatted in break out groups to discuss specifically experiences of education of the CEC and how this could be bettered. The break out groups fed back some really poignant and useful points to take forward, which the committee will be sorting through and informing both Falmouth University and the University of Exeter on.
The key take home message is that our unique position, as a campus with both creative and communication specialists from Falmouth University and world renowned research in Climate Science and policy from the University of Exeter, in Cornwall, where many groups, NGOs and committees are working for the benefit of nature, offers the opportunity to take the lead and pave the way in embedding the climate emergency at the heart of our teaching and policies.
If you’d like to learn more about People’s Assemblies, follow the Falmouth and Exeter facilitators on Instagram @peoplesassembly_fx