It’s been a little while since my last blog so I have lots to fill you in on!
I absolutely love my role as Welfare Vice President at the students’ Union – this last month has been challenging, hilarious, eventful, ridiculous but overall truly incredible and I cannot believe that I get to represent YOU the students every day!
Firstly I would just like to say thank you to all the students who took part in our fresher’s week it was an awesome week! I hope you enjoyed some of the activates/ freebees and company we provided.
Here is an update on what I have been doing in the last month since then:
Graduation Speeches and lecture shouts
WELL… I have gone from someone who is petrified to talk in front of people to a person who actually enjoys it – I have to admit to Ken (president) you were right and although it was slightly if not incredibly uncomfortable for me at first I am glad I have done over 5 graduation speeches (including my own graduation!!) and a bilzilion lecture shouts. I hope you all got a lecture shout and you learned more about the students’ union and the upcoming elections.
Sexual health
Positive sexual health messages and campaigns are a big part of my manifesto and I am determined to make both Walsall and City campuses more open to talking about everything and anything around safe sex.
During fresher’s week I brought the primary care trust into both the city campus and the Walsall campus to provide students with the opportunity to get tested for chlamydia, receive free condoms but also to receive advice and support and signposting to further sexual health services in the local area.
I am currently liaising with the Primary care trust to offer services like these on a regular basis and by November we should have recruited students to help me run a monthly sexual health outreach service at the Walsall campus.
Smoking
Following the introduction of a smoking ban on the Walsall campus I have brought a stop smoking service to support the changes. The service operates once a week providing people with 12 weeks of support, including behavioural therapy and nicotine replacement therapy.
Safety
I have been meeting with the local police and neighbourhood managers to establish student safety issues. Me and Gurjit your City campus officer have plans for a day out round the halls of residence dressed as robbers – catching all of you who leave your windows open when you are not in –don’t worry we won’t rob you …just merely raising awareness of how easy it is for robberies to take place!!
We also have an ALL OUT day planned in the Whitmore Reans area to target students in private accommodations to ensure they know all of the local authorities to contact if they need any support of further information during their stay in the area. They can also find out about the students’ union and how we can be of assistance with regards to student accommodation but also with ANYTHING!
Green
We are promoting a switch of camping in the halls of residence – the block which saves the most energy gets to win a prize!
Furthermore I have been trying to push forward a recycling pilot for the kitchens in halls of residence.
Mental health
Me and the phycology society are holding a mental health campaign on the 31st of October at city campus in the quad (opposite the MD building) we want to talk about mental health and help break down stigmas which students may have surrounding mental health problems. 1 in 4 people suffer in their lifetime so essentially it’s a part of being human. Come down and let’s talk!
Anthony Nolan
Anthony Nolan is coming into the student union on the 25th October to recruit people onto the bone marrow register.
People who have cancer of the blood need bone marrow to survive – being a part of helping another can be extremely rewarding and filling.
To register you just need to provide a saliva sample, so pop down to the SU on Tuesday 25th October between 11-3pm chat to the Anthony Nolan staff and see if you can save a life!
If you would like any more information or have some ideas for potential activities you would like to see your representatives holding please feel free to contact me VPWelfare@wlv.ac.uk