My name is Eline Gappy and I am currently in my second year of university, studying Psychology with Counselling and Mental Health. I have decided to run for the Religion and Faith Student Officer position as religion and faith are two things that I am passionate about so I knew that I had to grab this opportunity whilst I could.
I am running because it has come to my attention that there are many false pre-conceived notions that some people have in regard to different religions that ought to be cleared up. There are very few students who belong to a faith that can whole heartedly say they feel comfortable to express their faith freely because of fear of judgement or being treated differently and I believe something should be done about this.
Some of my key aims include creating an opportunity for an open dialogue to occur where both religious and non-religious students can come together to educate one another and come to a mutual understanding of the different religions. This will give religious students a chance to set the record straight on several misconceptions that people have had about their religion.
How I plan to address the above:
· Inter-faith event recognising all the different religions here at Solent
· Work alongside various religious societies to come together and promote unity
· Key celebrations of students belonging to a faith inclusive of those who may not be religious but still want to celebrate
I belong to a particular religion myself so I understand first-hand the issues that can arise. I have educated myself on different religions so I am ready and willing to be the voice for all to express themselves through.
Religious or non-religious, let us come together and try to understand each other a little bit better.
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding” – Albert Einstein