Just a quick ‘Hi!’ from your new Elected Officer team; we’ve been busy over the last few weeks preparing for Fresher’s and the year ahead, but we thought we’d take a few minutes to introduce ourselves and explain what we’ve been up to since being elected! This blog will be a great way to keep up to date with what we’re getting up to in your Students’ Union, so make sure you keep checking this blog over the year for weekly updates about our campaigns, activities and what we’ve been up to around campus!
Handover and training
After being elected in March, it was back to normality for the team for a few months as we got on with University life; for most of us, this was a case of completing essays and exams before graduating in the summer term, after which we had a bit of time off before handover began in July. Handover was a month-long process which involved in-depth training, and one-on-one time spent with our predecessors handing over the reins and responsibilities of the role. Within the month we attended training sessions run by external companies which involved behavioural psychology assessments, scenario days, team-building activities, and a lot of getting to know each other! We also individually attended NUS conferences specific to our elected role, as well as collectively touring other students’ unions around the country in order to meet other Elected Officers and share tips and tricks. When we weren’t busy being trained, we spent lots of time with our predecessors, who prepared us for the year ahead by passing on knowledge, expertise and advice.
New plans and campaigns
August 1st saw us officially take over the role, as we said goodbye to the old team and moved into our new offices. Since then, we have been working both individually and as a team to decide our priorities and projects for the coming year, and slowly settling into the job and finding our feet! As a team we have decided that there are many projects we want to focus on to enhance the student experience here at Cardiff. For example, we are launching a ‘Sort Your Life Out Week’ during November which will offer you the chance to try new activities, get advice on health, housing, employability and money, and learn more about what your union can do for you. Another campaign, ‘Mind Your Head Week’ is aimed at raising awareness about mental health issues. We have also undertaken a large overhaul of the democracy system within the Students’ Union, with Student Council being replaced with individual forums, and more opportunities being created for students to bring their ideas as to how to improve or develop the Union going forward.
Get involved!
We’re all really excited about the year ahead and look forward to seeing you all in Fresher’s. We’re based on the 3rd floor of the Students’ Union, and our doors are always open for a friendly chat. You can also get in touch with us by calling, e-mailing or even Tweeting us – just check our profiles under ‘Elected Officers’ to get our contact details. We’re here to represent your views, so get involved and love Cardiff!