Community is a well-known cornerstone of one’s life. Communities and finding a community can affect all aspects of life: important relationships and experiences and are often found through one’s own communities. However, finding your own community is also a significant challenge for many students, especially for those at the beginning of their studies.
Like many others once I knew where I would be studying, I of course checked the social medias of my future home organization as the first thing. One of the most recent posts was a theme post published during Pride week. That single post had great significance before entering university. The values had been clearly highlighted and there was no need to be nervous about the attitudes of my new community.
Finding one’s own community is especially important for a new student. Although others swim through new situations like a fish in water, many are nervous about adapting to a new community. One’s own identity can not become an additional tension in finding one’s own place. No student should have to worry about not being accepted in the community because of a personal characteristic like gender identity or sexual orientation.
Discussions over the years have confirmed for me the importance of everyday actions and visibility. Pride is still needed to promote the fulfilment of important human values, and both Pride events and Pride as a movement have enormous value as community builders. However, human rights are not resolved or communities built in a month, let alone a week. And that is why year-round proactive work and often forgotten everyday visibility actions are important. A single Pride-themed post can relieve the tension of many new students, and a Pride flag hanging in the corner of the organisation room along a slightly withered houseplant all year round can be a more effective reminder of community values than a one-off event.
During the Manse Pride week, Pride will be visible in Tampere at the university, on the streets and in the city. Pride is an opportunity to show your mind, celebrate and learn new things. That is important. The visibility of values in everyday life is also important. So let’s remember to enjoy Pride in June, but also give opportunities for visibility throughout the year.