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Vote Chagla to Cheer better!



Hi everyone! I am Chagla YOZKAN, a first-year Economics and Finance student. I have been involved in several societies, such as the Economy and Freestyle Dance communities. Being an international student, I was elected as the BLSS representative in my foundation year last year. Even though half of the term was online, my team and I did a lot to improve the students' mental well-being and encourage them to participate in activities and games online. This allowed me to engage with others consciously and consult their personal and educational issues one by one. Besides, I seized the opportunity to get a better grasp of the potential problems in executive teams and student communities while searching for possible solutions snd implementing them accordingly.



Why vote for me?



I am incredibly willing to make changes in the understanding of Activities & Opportunities with, of course, your invaluable support. I believe the fact that collaboration and support are the keys to an accomplishment. As an enthusiastic and social international student, I can easily assure you that you are going to be experiencing a warmer and better student atmosphere in LUU in terms of activities and possible opportunities available for you all.



• Togetherness and Socialising - I want to encourage more students to participate in societies and expand the volume of people enjoying the uni experience by organising various safe social events and academic/ non-academic programmes.



• Alleviating Cultural shock - It is undeniable that international students experience homesickness and have a transition period for a while. To tackle that, I assure to create a convenient and sincere WhatsApp group chat to arrange meetings and organise gatherings. By getting to know each other through social media and in-person meetings, the sense of loneliness might be reduced.



• Advertisements & Social Media - Using the power of technology and social media, I try my best to make agreements with retailers and the owners of cafes & restaurants to get gift cards for you to increase the vibrance of societies.



• Introducing the staff at Union better- first-year students and post-grads are to be guided during their beginning of the courses. I recommend hanging more posters and indicators on the noticeboards in the Union and assigning a role to a certain amount of people to familiarise the freshers with the Union.



• Training and orientation programmes for the freshers.



• Equality and Monetary fundraising - Regardless of the size of communities, the needs and deficiencies are going to be taken into consideration more carefully to preserve equality between communities.



• Accessibility - you can reach me out whenever you wish either through social media, including WhatsApp or by only popping in the office.



• Checking up on each other to increase safety measures and avoid possible harassment.



• Organising dance events apart from the dancing societies and setting up swimming clubs.



• Make each other's successes resound around the Union by diverse, vivid celebrations.



• Arranging coaching organisations and mental well-being sessions online and in-person to illustrate the priceless support from us.

Vote LEAH to LEAD Activities!



Hi everyone! I’m Leah, a 3rd year microbiology student. I am the current president and active member of Cheerleading at the university and was secretary last year. This has given me a great insight into what problems societies can face, as well as solutions to these.



Why me?



• I want to show people that joining a society is the BEST thing you can do at uni – I wanted to go for cheer president so I could give back, and ensure this was the case for other people! Being activities officer would enable me to do this on a bigger scale, and one of my targets is to increase the number of people joining societies, particularly postgrad and international students.

• Be an easy to reach, quick point of call/ helpline for committee members – I want to be available to help committee members at all times, whenever they have any questions/ issues. Surveys have shown that replies can be slow and so I feel this would help prevent this. I know how important it is to have answers quickly!

• Sharing the successes of our amazing societies – We should be proud of all achievements our societies make, and these should be celebrated ALL year round rather than just at the end of the year with Sports Colours awards etc

• Equal opportunities for societies big or small – Including fair distribution of grants, advertising and other support

• Bridging the gap between committee members and student & staff at the union – ensuring all committee members know the role of each staff member in the union, so it is clear who to go to for help with certain issues.

• More support and training for committees especially before the start of the year – Preparations in summer are KEY for a successful year as a society however planning and accessing help and support can be hard to do when not in Leeds. Additional training and online events/ drop ins are crucial at this time.

• More close-knit help and support for bigger society events such as charity/fundraising events

• Compulsory first aid training for all societies

• Improving access to on-campus space for societies

• Greater awareness on how mental health can be improved by societies

I’m Dinesh Kumar, a master’s student in business school. I live in Burley Road with my friends. I am an international student who has been around the university for 5 months who has been keen in volunteering



Inclusive of Society and Sports

• International Students: Concentration on more volunteering so that you don’t miss out on any interesting opportunities.

• Ensuring the marginalized groups (LGBTQ, DISABLED., etc) are included all the time and not just on their corresponding history months.

• Integrating societies with events during the university hours. Interconnecting societies to run more connecting events.



Better Recognition

• Supporting casual performers to showcase their passion on a dedicated slot.

• Encouraging collaborations with general interest societies to be more inclusive of social and casual members.



Training

• Training workshops/programs put in place for the committees to become better equipped to deal with welfare and health within the society.

• Trainings on Mental health Wellbeing, inclusiveness of students across diversities.

Vote Tom Gibson for Activities and Opportunities!

LUU For you, by you

Insta@tgforactivities



Who?

I'm Tom Gibson, a third year Film, Photography and Media student and your current Music and performance rep! I have been involved with societies since 2018, being on committee twice (one year as president)!



1: Communication

Improve communication between LUU, societies, committees, and the students. I will ensure that there is consistent and transparent communication, that every decision, action, and policy is well explained and understood throughout LUU.



2: Feeling at home in the Union

We need to break down any barriers holding people back from joining societies, whether they be financial, social, or due to lack of opportunities, and work to ensure that everyone can find a community to be a part of.

I will be an ally to members of historically disenfranchised students, working with them and listening to them to ensure that they are included, appreciated and at home in LUU.



3: Getting the most out of LUU

By listening to what students want and need, we will provide opportunities that will enrich and further their university experience and provide them with the key skills to move forward in life.



4: Feeling safe, valued, and heard

The student voice is what makes LUU tick, so I will implement open discussion forums, either online or in person, for students to voice their worries, questions, or praise towards LUU.

I will also make sure that students have more direct access to myself, other student exec members and any other member of staff they may need to talk to, to vent worries or just have a chat.

Committee training will continue to be provided for welfare, finance and running of events/socials to increase inclusivity and support in LUU.



5: Your LUU

I don't have all the answer for every problem, and I won't claim to be able to fix everything. But what I can do is listen. We can work together to continue to improve LUU, to continue to improve the student experience based on feedback and deliberation from the students. Together, we can make a Union we can all be proud of. Together, we can make LUU for you, by you.





Why?

You should vote for me because I am going to put the students first. I want to listen to, learn from and work together with the diverse community of students we have here at LUU to make a union that is inclusive and supportive of all. A union that we can be proud of. I have a great amount of experience being in societies and on committees, and now I have experience working with the union on the Activities Exec. I know how the union works from all sides (student, union, committee) and how each side is impacted. I really, genuinely care about the union. I owe a lot to these societies, activities, and the people here and I want to continue giving back and working to make every student's experience a positive and enriching one. I promise that I will be on your side.





Check out my website and have YOUR day! https://tgforactivities.wixsite.com/tgforactivities

Clubs and societies are the beating heart of our university. They are spaces of unity, passion and expression and are invaluable to the student experience. I have been lucky enough to experience this first hand and fully immerse myself in LUUs clubs and societies- I would love to be able to bring this feeling to others!



Through my role as Sports Rep on the Activities Exec and as President of women’s football I have been representing all sports societies and their members to the union, making sure that any issues are addressed and resolved and ensuring that every club has been supported. I also value every aspect of our societies, from elite performance to the social, being a keen supporter of social sport and currently working to expand the women’s leagues. Balancing my two union roles alongside being in my final year of university means I have developed excellent organisation skills and a very driven approach to achieve my goals. I hope to expand my work beyond the area of sports and would love to be able to advocate for all societies in LUU.



If elected as Activities and Opportunities Officer, I will have three main areas of focus:



Funding:

Lobby the university to allocate a higher budget for clubs and societies
Increase awareness and accessibility of the activities fund



Training:

Specific role training for all committee positions, making handovers easier
Networking events for committee members, to share advice and increase society collaboration



First-aid and anti-spiking training for society members, making clubs and societies safer places



Experience:

Focus on increasing participation in clubs and societies, particularly those facing social barriers



Establish an “Alumni Festival”, an annual week-long event to celebrate all societies and their members, past and present



Alongside these policies, I will fully commit myself to representing every member of our clubs and societies as best as possible, so please put your faith in me and vote Ella for Activities!