Wednesday 13-02-2019 - 09:00

Bristol SU has a number of societies which have been accredited with silver status on the Balloon Accreditation Scheme. We caught up with Bristol Asian Society to find out more about their student group.

What do we do?

The Bristol Asian Society is one of the largest cultural-based societies at the University of Bristol, with over 200 members for the last three years. Although the society may suggest we’re geared towards only Asians, we are an inclusive group and welcome anyone with a shared love or interest for the culture!

We realise that it may be daunting to join such a large and well-established society, so we’ve taken steps to ensure that members can become acclimatised very easily through our range of events – none more so than the family scheme. This is where the younger students have the opportunity to join their very own ASoc ‘family’, with the parents comprising of the senior students. Having two (or sometimes three!) parents can provide an easy pathway through the introduction of University, and the opportunity to be fully integrated within the society.

Some of our most popular and diverse events include:

-    Initi-Asian; meet the committee and members at our meet and greet.
-    Families Night; a night out with your very own ASoc family.
-    Aashiyana Spring Ball; a celebration of Asian culture through a showcase of acts and performances, alongside a three course meal. 
-    Enigma; our mystery bus tour and night out with the society at an unknown location.

Although we believe all of these events accurately represent our society, the Aashiyana Spring Ball is always our flagship event, and the largest ball of the year. Last year, it won the ‘Collaboration of the Year’ award, due to the success of partnerships with the Tamil Society, Punjabi Society, Bollywood Dance Society and many more! 

We’ve planned an even bigger ball this year, held at City Hall on the 23rd February 2019! If you want to have a taster of Asian culture, a sensational 3 course South Asian inspired meal, first-hand viewing of Bristol’s most scintillating talent including singing, dancing and original modern fusion, or even just fancy a dance, then tickets are still available on the Bristol SU website! 

Where do we do it?

Our events are held all around Bristol, including bars, clubs, the Student’s Union and hotel halls. We try to encapsulate all of Asian culture, so try to cater to everyone by providing nights out, team building exercises as well as informal socials. 

What have we achieved and what are some of the ways we’ve met the standards of the silver award?

We’ve achieved the silver award due to the society’s ability to be sustainable as well as environmentally aware, and we have a fundamental belief of teamwork and collaboration, largely down to the incredible success of Aashiyana Spring Ball in 2018. In addition, we achieved a fantastic member satisfaction rate last year, showing that the society was a huge success.

Anything different we’re planning for next year?

As mentioned previously, an ongoing target is to encourage students of all backgrounds to immerse themselves within the society. In addition, we’re coming up with increasingly creative ideas for socials, such as treasure hunts around Bristol, and an event recreating the reality TV show ‘Take Me Out’! 

In addition, we’re also interested in increased collaboration with many other cultural societies around the University. We’ve already collaborated with societies such as the Punjabi Society, the East African Society and the Tamil Society so far this year, and are planning more of the same in the coming years.

For news and information about our society, check out our social media: 
Page: https://www.facebook.com/bristolasoc/
Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BristolAsianCulturalSociety/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bristolasoc/
Snapchat: bristolasoc
 

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More information

Find out more about Societies and Clubs

Find out more about the Balloon Accreditation Scheme