{"id":39848,"date":"2017-12-07T13:23:39","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T20:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=39848"},"modified":"2017-12-07T13:23:39","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T20:23:39","slug":"simple-supper-a-safe-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2017\/12\/07\/simple-supper-a-safe-space\/","title":{"rendered":"The Simple Supper: Meeting, and eating, at U of C"},"content":{"rendered":"

F<\/span>ree food, good conversation and a sense of community, is what students enjoy at the U of C Simple Supper.<\/p>\n

T<\/span>he Simple Supper is a place where students can share, talk, and eat in a safe,non-judgmental space.<\/p>\n

The supper occurs every Wednesday at the Faith and Spirituality Centre in MacEwan Hall at the U of C.<\/p>\n

The Anglican Campus Ministry, the University of Calgary Lutheran Community, and YYC Campus Ministry organize the Simple Supper.<\/p>\n

Robert Massey, the communications and management director of YYC Campus Ministry, helps organize the simple supper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intent is to create community among students,\u201d said Massey, a graduate of the SAIT Journalism program.<\/p>\n

The students feel so comfortable as a community that after the meal, a number of them stay around and talk for hours on end.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to kick them out because they never want to leave,” said Massey.<\/p>\n

Although the simple supper is affiliated with religious organizations, they do not preach to students, just invite them to eat and take a break.<\/p>\n

YYC Campus Ministry, which serves Calgary\u2019s three biggest post-secondary institutes, SAIT, U of C, and MRU, is\u00a0focused on making its facilities places where students can come, share and feel safe.<\/p>\n

Naturally, there is conversation at the supper. At the beginning of each meal, the students choose a topic by suggesting topics, and voting on them.<\/p>\n

Tim Nethercott, a chaplain with the campus ministry, begins the conversation to show that it\u2019s all right for others to speak up and join in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try very hard to do things that are inclusive, that can involve anybody,\u201d Nethercott said.<\/p>\n

The idea is that students have a deeper conversation about what\u2019s going on in their lives.<\/p>\n

Many students have stressful lives with assignments, family and possibly work to balance, and are encouraged to\u00a0bring friends, even if they are not students at the U of C.<\/p>\n

Students find the simple supper through a combination of Facebook, word-of-mouth, and a U of C system called Level Up, which awards students with “experience points,” like a real-life video game.<\/p>\n

Inclusivity doesn’t apply just to students being invited, it is also in the food, as there are vegan and gluten-free options.<\/p>\n

YYC Campus Ministry has also organized drum circles at SAIT and MRU. At SAIT, it meets in the Interfaith Centre, on the second floor of the Stan Grad Building.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tim Nethercott the man who begins the conversation. (Photo by Aman Kapila\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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