NUS Active Political Leadership Training

Me, Tom, Oggy and Sparky went on NUS "Active Political Leadership" or APL training this week. I had so much fun and have come back really motivated, with many new ideas for the year ahead.

We received training in the role of Students' Unions, the history of student representation and building strong unions.
We attended workshops in public speaking, politics inside the institution, lobbying and negotiating, organising and campaigning and finally handling the media (which included me being grilled for what seemed like hours by Tom Marley- a journalist aided by spin doctor Chris Griffin from the Courtauld Institute- scary stuff!)

We also watched presentations on the injustices of the higher education system and NUS governance reform (both to follow in later blogs!)

The course culminated in what is probably the most intense training exercise I have ever experienced- Fibchester- where in teams we became the sabbatical officer team of the imaginary Fibchester Students' Union. In the space of 3 hours I had to meet with 2 Pro Vice Chancellors, write a governance review, lobby the university to improve its accessibility for disabled students and try and save the unions commercial services from a university take over.

STRESS STRESS STRESS STRESS STRESS!

After Fibchester I feel like I can get through anything thrown at me! The best part of the training though, was that it was a brilliant opportunity to network and meet other sabbatical officers from all over the country as well as some of the NUS National Executive Committee (NEC). If we work together we can win together and I for one can't wait to start! Above is a picture of me with the lovely Aaron Porter, NUS Vice President (Higher Education).

Baroness Amos opens Amos Room

The Amos Room in the Guild of Students is so named as a tribute to the Rt. Honourable Baroness Amos. The room is named "to reflect, Baroness Amos' contribution to equality and equal rights, and as an outstanding leader in her field."

Although the Amos Room has been named for some time, Baroness Amos has never been able to officially name it. However, today 18th July 2008, she received a University of Birmingham honorary doctorate and so stopped by the Guild to officially name the room.

Sabbatical Officers 2008/2009 and Baroness Amos

Baroness Amos is the first woman of African descent to serve in a British cabinet and was leader of the House of Lords 2003-2007. Between 1989-1994 the Baroness headed the equal opportunities commission and in 1997 she was made a life peer by the new Labour Party government of Tony Blair. And what's even better she is a University of Birmingham Alumnus!

Baroness had such an aura about her- it truely was an honour and a pleasure to meet her. Hopefully we will be seeing her again in October for Black History Month. Until then, like Simon said we need to get Nelson Mandela to come and open his room!

The Wellfairy Blogs!

Hello students of Birmingham and welcome to the wonderful world of my blog! I'm Hollie Jones and from the 1st of August 2008 I will be Vice President (Welfare) of the Guild of Students- your Students' Union.

I will be posting regularly throughout the year to let you know what I am up to and how the welfare world is changing!

So as VPW, what am I here to do?

As your VP Welfare I am here to make sure that you are represented fairly throughout your time at university. It is my job to protect your rights as a student, but most importantly, to make sure that you know your rights, be it in education, housing, finances or employment. I am here to fight for equal opportunities, religious freedoms and liberation. As VPW I also support and direct the Guild’s welfare services, for example the Advice and Representation Centre (ARC), the Student Mentor Scheme and the Job Zone.

I was elected on a manifesto of change. I promised our members that I would no longer let welfare services just exist, but instead spend time making sure the array of potentially beneficial services that we offer reach their full potential.

I am also very dedicated to fronting campaigns that are relevant, and fighting for our rights as students, because as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray so rightly said “If something is worth having, it’s worth fighting for.”
N.B: If you haven't seen Hairspray I highly recommend that you watch it!!!

I'll keep posting but in the meanwhile, feel free to contact me at h.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk