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Candidate Statement for General and Welfare Secretary

Heyyy!! I’m Millie, a first-year Philosophy, Ethics and Religion student, applying for the role of general and welfare secretary within gymnastics! I began gymnastics at around the age of 11, continuing it up until I came to university, also undertaking the role of a volunteer coach for around 11 months, teaching recreational and WAG squad gymnasts.

Hopefully, I have become a recognisable face within the society at this point; I attend almost every event run, along with practising as often as possible, as joining this team has been one of my highlights over my first year. I have loved having the opportunity to push myself in training, compete once again in such a supportive environment, and make some of my best friends at university, and now I want to become more involved in the running of this society, ensuring everyone has the positive experience I have had. I wish to make everyone feel welcomed and included within gymnastics; the feeling of security I got from this group when I was an anxious fresher has made me passionate to get involved with committee and, with your votes, help make certain the society is the best it can be!

With the nature of my course having low contact hours, I will have plenty of free time to dedicate to this society and my role on committee, allowing me to stay organised and on top of event planning, relationships with sponsors and charities that we already have established connections with (e.g. BEAT, Redbull, Pickard Properties), and research into new organisations, in line with the society's values, we could partner with. I think I would be considered an organised person. Having three separate elements to my course has solidified me in being efficient and structured, which I am prepared to add my duties from gymnastics to this. One of the focuses of my course is ethics, making me very conscious of the effects things in this society will have on its members, so I will make certain that there is a clear outline of welfare policies specific to gymnastics, in line with the union guidelines and any input from members. Furthermore, I would want to provide easily accessible methods to report any issues or inquires you may have (anonymously or labelled) along with an in person drop in with committee to ask any questions you require. The religion aspect of my course allows me to have a more diverse knowledge of beliefs and practices of some members of the society, allowing me to support them in ways they would need, ensuring gymnastics is inclusive to all. I will display this by things like the society becoming more involved in a range of nationally recognised events, supplying information and advice, along with permanent links to helplines relevant to the time or charity we are bringing awareness to.

I hope to ensure any fundraising events will have the best turn out possible, to raise the most amounts of money, by making them exciting and the preferred option by members, with some ideas including a scavenger hunt around Leeds, dodge ball/ other sport matches, used book swaps etc. I will continue to plan the usual events including the ball, bingo night for BEAT, the Christmas dinner and the karaoke and quiz night. I plan to work in an effective team with the rest of committee in any events as needed, allowing a smooth running of the society while still being certain I will bring the most to my role.

Thank you for taking the time to read my statement, I hope you will consider me for this role!

Millie :)

Hey! I am Naomi, a first year student and very much a beginner in gymnastics, however where I lack in skill I make up for in organisation! I am applying for this role because I have loved starting something new this year, I really enjoy learning in gymnastics and I’d love to be a bit more involved. I chose this position specifically because I have previously organised many events and I love having something to work towards! I also have lots of free time that I really want to fufill especially in a group setting where I can be around my friends!

My goals for this role would be to introduce new fundraising ideas, especially for charity awareness weeks, I have a few ideas that we could incorporate but I’d love to hear more from everyone else! I also want to set up a Padlet page - A Q&A platform where I can answer questions anonymously so any concerns can be resolved without any shame. I believe this would be really beneficial for anyone with social anxiety or people who are more introverted.

As for me, I believe I am an approachable and empathetic person, I’d like to think people would feel comfortable coming to me if they felt unsettled and I would be able to handle any issues considerately and fairly.

Thank youuuu - Naomi xoxo