Our Top SOAS Society Picks!
SOAS Painting Society
We are an ever-growing society made up of beginners and professional artists with a passion for painting. Our zeal for painting was not impacted by the pandemic, as our love for creativity and learning about art continued. Even though we cannot meet in person, we have used this opportunity to hold numerous virtual events, including the first virtual Painting Society freshers’ event where we socialised, got to know each other, and took part in some drawing. More recently, we had an event over Zoom where our members collectively listened to different genres of music and then created an artistic piece based on their feelings/thoughts that were invoked. We enjoyed co-hosting an event with the Nap Society last year, and hope to continue hosting creative events this year. Keep an eye out and follow our Instagram @soaspaintingsoc for more details!
SOAS Law Society
The SOAS Law Society is an award-winning student-led society that is among the oldest and most active at SOAS. From its inception over 100 years ago, the Law Society has been working to provide top-tier career opportunities and engaging social events for law students and non-law students alike. As one of the most diverse societies in the UK, we pride ourselves on our unique member base, focus on inclusivity, and commitment to equality. Our committee is composed of 17 elected students, working to provide corporate and non-corporate career events to our members beyond those available in the UK by including a wide range of opportunities in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. In 2020, our hard work won us the ‘Best Society for Social Events’, delivered by LawCareers.net. The law society had been proactive in shifting activities online to provide the best of opportunities for our members despite the unusual situation of the 2020-21 academic year, be it for advancing their career goals or just meeting new people through social events. We host these events very often so follow us on our social media handles to stay updated on them! @soaslawsociety
SOAS Jammu & Kashmir Society
To go online has certainly been a challenge for us at the Jammu and Kashmir society this year. Last year was a fun and memorable time at the society, with plenty of enjoyable activities. We would often host discussions relating to history, culture, and politics of the region. Of course, with that came sweets and various teas, including nun chai, the famous salted pink tea of the Kashmir Valley. We were fortunate to be able to use the school facilities to meet and discuss, as well as forge new friendships in the name of solidarity. Trying to adapt such experiences to a virtual space has been quite the challenge, and one we haven’t quite cracked yet. Our fundamental focus throughout this year has been to be active as a society, but how do you translate the experience of a meeting online? How do you translate the fun of nearly setting off fire alarms while burning milk? We are still not sure. However, we have reinforced one thing we already knew: people are what makes SOAS so special. Despite being online, personalities and thoughtfulness still radiate through the screen, even without tea! So good job SOAS student body, we’re doing great. If you’d like to stay posted on our upcoming activities, or learn more about who we are as a society, please follow us @soas_jk_soc !
SOAS Bangla Society
The SOAS Bangla Society is a space dedicated to celebrate and promote Bengali culture, heritage and history. Despite the limitations that come with being online, we’re still hosting events from quiz nights to playing ‘Among Us’ together! As we enter February, Bsoc has partnered with the charity MAA and we aim to host events to fundraise for Maternal Healthcare in Bangladesh. MAA describes themselves as a ‘grassroots charity dedicated to supporting mothers in resource-poor settings.’ As February is an important month for us, we’re also looking forward to Mother Language Day on the 21st February to celebrate the language that is Bangla and the varieties that come with it. In total, there are about 39 languages spoken across Bangladesh. Bengali is the official language spoken by the majority and it is also considered the sweetest language in the world! Follow our Instagram @soasbanglasoc for updates on events and discussions. You can also dm us or email us at soasbanglasoc@gmail.com to join our WhatsApp group chat.
SOAS Latin American Society
The Latin American Society at SOAS aims to promote, educate and share Latin American culture, politics, and arts. We are open to everyone, aiming to create a community for all students with an interest in Latin America, as well as providing a supportive space for Latinx students at SOAS. Despite the challenges of going virtual, we have successfully hosted several academic events this year including our well-received BLM series! Going online has allowed us to feature guest speakers from around the world, gaining access to insights that would normally be inaccessible. Our greatest challenge so far has been to create an engaging social environment online; however ‘Esquina Latina’ – our biweekly language exchange Zoom meeting – has provided a fun and casual way to stay connected. This group is open to all levels of Spanish and Portuguese!
We’d love to see you at some of our events, please do follow our socials to see what’s coming up! Stay posted on our instagram page: @soaslatamsociety
SOAS Film Society
At the SOAS Film Society, we are a group who are interested in film and have created a safe space to explore this interest together. As a society we organise film screenings, cinema trips (which we look forward to starting again once it’s safe!) and host a blog.
It has been interesting holding events in this climate as it does test our creativity, especially on where to find films that are the most accessible and ways to bring people together. The pandemic has definitely kept us on our toes but we always persevere and find a way to host an event! We’ve mostly been collaborating with other societies at SOAS – which has been great since it means that people across the university get a chance to virtually meet up and connect with each other.
If you have any film ideas that you want to screen and discuss or fancy writing something for the blog – or you simply like film and you want to join – don’t hesitate to do so and get in touch! To stay updated on upcoming events or learn more about us as a society, please follow us on instagram (@soas_film_society), or drop us a line (filmsocietysoas@gmail.com)!
