INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR LOCAL CHARITY THROUGH ONLINE CONCERT  

13 May 2020

Students at Queen’s are warming up their vocal chords, checking their Wi-Fi and tuning their instruments ahead of an online concert hoping to raise thousands of pounds for St John Ambulance.

The Qulture Shock concert, which has been organised by the International Student Response Group (ISRG), Queen’s International Students Society (QISS) and St John Ambulance NI, will take place at 6pm on 25 May 2020 on the ISRG Facebook page.

Entitled ‘Qulture Shock: Unity Concert’, it comprises performances by current Queen’s students and recent graduates, as well as local musicians. It was the idea of Malaysian student Adam Farhan, President of QISS. Adam, who studies Anthropology with Politics at Queen’s, set up the International Student Response Group which aims to provide activities and information for international students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those attending the concert can look forward to an evening of musical entertainment from around the globe.

Adam, who is director of the concert, says that it is an evening to be enjoyed by local and international staff, students and the wider community. “Qulture Shock: Unity Concert is a special instalment in our events calendar,” he said. “We have all been affected by the pandemic; we are holding this concert to raise our spirits through a celebration of the many different cultures represented at Queen’s.

“Featuring performances from local bands and talented international students, this concert aims to unify the diverse student body at Queen’s University Belfast for a worthy cause.”

He added: “The University campus may be closed but Queen’s remains a strong community and this concert is one way of being able to support an important charity and as well as showcase local and international musical talent.

This concert is not just for students but for the whole community so we hope many will join us for these online concerts.”

Qulture Night will have cultural representations from Ireland, the UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and more. Performances – which are directed and performed mainly by Queen’s students – will include Balinese Gamelan, musical theatre, and blues, along with pop and Irish traditional music.

In March, St John Ambulance NI made an urgent public appeal to raise £100,000 in donations to support their efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Mobilising 1,860 ‘front line’ volunteers in Northern Ireland, they have provided essential ambulance resources and facilitated patient transfers. On average, they deploy 70 vehicles per week, placing unprecedented stress on volunteers to cope with the spike in demand during the pandemic.

Since 20th March, St John Ambulance NI has been unable to generate funds from providing medical assistance and ambulance cover at events. With this loss of income, which is expected to last until 2021, the organisation’s ability to provide essential first response training to volunteers, purchase and maintain equipment and maintain the fleet of ambulances has been severely strained.

The Qulture Shock: Unity Concert is part of the QISS Qulture Shock brand, facilitating the annual Qulture Night extravaganza which aims to be the biggest single cultural showcase in Northern Ireland and the largest student-led celebration of all cultures at any university in the UK.

The ISRG came into effect in March 2020 and currently has over 150 members. It runs regular online activities through Facebook.

QISS aims to provide support to international students. It runs a number of events throughout the year, celebrating the many culture and traditions represented by the vibrant international student community at Queen’s. There are currently around 3,000 international students from 85 different countries studying at Queen’s.

For further information, contact the ISRG by email or visit their Facebook page.

Media enquiries about this story can be sent to the Communications Office at Queen’s University Belfast. 

Information on research and analysis carried out at Queen's in response to COVID-19 can be found at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/coronavirus/. If you would like to support the University in its efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.

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