Yes, yes- Valentine's Day on the 14th. Poetry's in the 800's section, if you find you're feeling a bit Romantic. But what else is going on in February....?
1. LGBTQ+ History Month
February is LGBTQ+ History Month. This is a campaign that aims to highlight historical figures and events connected to the LGBTQ+ community. We’ll be doing a separate post exploring the themes and historical figures chosen to be in this year’s spotlight, so if you’re interested make sure to check back in later in the month. In the meantime, visit either campus to browse the LGBTQ+ book displays that library staff have put together.
2.February 6th : Time To Talk Day
Time to Talk Day is a campaign run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. It encourages frank conversations around the topic of mental health- reducing stigma and encouraging people to feel comfortable reaching out for help. To find out more, you can visit timetotalkday.co.uk. To discover what Mental Health support is available for Cardiff Met Students, go to cardiffmet.ac.uk
3.February 11th: International Day of Women and Girls in Science
This is a United Nations observance aimed at tackling the gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) disciplines worldwide, encouraging women and girls to participate in these fields. Metsearch and the Library Database A-Z are both excellent places to start if you wanted to engage with a bit of STEM related research- whether it’s for your official studies, or simply to satisfy your own curiosity about a STEM-related topic.
4.16th-22nd February: Aromantic Awareness Week
Aromantic Awareness Week is a campaign is intended to raise awareness and acceptance of Aromantic spectrum identities- and if you don’t know what that means well, the chance to learn is what this week is for! You can find out more about aromantacism here.
5.February 24th-March 2nd: Eating Disorder Awareness Week
Eating disorders affect at least 1 in 50 people in the UK. Beat Eating Disorders is a charity that aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, as well as signposting (and improving) the support available for recovery. Eating disorders are a serious mental health condition and can affect anybody- information on accessing help via the university can be found here.