From left: Harita Raval, Anneli Blomqvist and Beatrice Hansen. Photo: Private.

— This is the first funding the PhD Council has received since we formed the Department of Teaching and Learning, says Harita Raval, chairperson of the board. Any of the previous three councils have not been given this amount of money before, and it makes it special for us.

— The purpose of this funding is to create opportunities for PhD students within the department to establish meaningful connections with each other. This is especially important since we are now a merger of three different departments into one big department. As a PhD student council board, we want a sense of community to grow stronger through collective efforts, not only at work but also outside the workplace. Our plan is to arrange a dinner with some social activities with the grant we received, shares Anneli.

— Depending on the number of PhDs participating we will also try to arrange an end-of-semester barbecue with the remaining money where PhD students within the department also have the possibility of meeting, playing games and socializing, adds Beatrice.

— Over 45 PhD colleagues from 9 different research schools comprise this department's diverse group of students. It is very essential for the board to work toward a feeling of unity. In addition, Harita explains that apart from Sweden some of our colleagues are from Brazil, China, Columbia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, India, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, Vietnam, and Wales; and by conducting some out-of-the-workspace activities like this, we are working towards building a sense of community among us.