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Amelia Cottee running for social sec (see poster attached)

Hi I’m Megan! I’m in my first year studying Biomedical Sciences and do contemporary dance (although hopefully next year you’ll see me in a few more classes!). My fresher experience would certainly not have been half as fun without the modern dance socials. The excitement leading up to Wednesday night really helped me get through the long semesters. I even got a Welfare Wednesday highlight for not missing a social so I’m definitely going to keep my record going!

Going to socials has helped me create an amazing group of dance friends and even if I only see some of them on Wednesday nights, my uni experience wouldn’t be the same without them. I hope that everyone in the society gets to benefit from the social aspects like I have, which is why I’m putting forward some new proposals to make our socials bigger and even more fun next year!

I would make a customised ‘Freshers Guide to Modern Dance Socials’. The main aim of this leaflet would be a rough guide to what to expect for socials, including the usual Wednesday night plans: think pres games, best deals at revs, how to escape the rugby boys, best food on the way home. This would be shared on instagram and facebook and be on display at our freshers fayre stand. Hopefully this will make socials seem less daunting for freshers and help improve attendance so everyone can create a wider group of dance friends. I was so nervous to go to my first social event because I didn't know anyone so I’ll be sharing my advice for anyone in the same boat next year.

I would also use the modernmadness instagram account to create posts each week with moodboards for costume inspiration including links to affordable accessories and quick DIY ideas. I’d love to continue with the wild themes we’ve had this year (yes that means ‘anything but clothes’) so this will help get the creative juices flowing. These posts will give people ideas if they are stuck or don’t have a lot of time to plan a costume. I am very organised and would love to create these posts in advance of the event to get everyone excited about our themes! Knowing that good costumes don’t have to break the bank will hopefully encourage more people to get involved in socials. A free drink will definitely be given to the best dressed!

It's so important not to forget sober social opportunities. I would love to organise a cinema trip for the society - the recliner seats at Vue definitely take away all that work stress! Also, I’d regularly use the instagram account to share sober event ideas based on interactive instagram story polls and questions. Some ideas are good coffee shops, walks, movies on. This way freshers can get to know the area and maybe even spot a few of their dance friends at these spots too.

Finally, regarding the actual agenda of socials, I’d make sure we include more games in pres to get everyone in the party spirit. petitive so I'm sure I could get everyone involved (who could forget our water balloon contest or the Christmas karaoke?). This is such an easy ice breaker when everyone arrives and a great way to start joint-society socials before we hit the dance floor.

I’m so grateful to Liv and Georgina for organising such great events this year. There is definitely a lot to live up to, but I really hope to make the most of this opportunity if I’m chosen. Thanks so much for reading and lots of dance love!

Hi! I’m Eva and I am running to be one of your social secs next year. This has been my first year in Modern Dance and I have enjoyed every second of it with the socials being one of my favourite aspects.

Dance has been one of the biggest highlights of my university experience so far and it really helped me to settle in initially. Due to this I would love to organise an event to welcome everyone back and most importantly allow all of our freshers to feel at home in Modern Dance. An idea for this could be some welcome drinks to allow everyone to have a chit chat and get to know each other before any chaotic Wednesday socials. I think this event will start the year in a fun and positive way and ensure that everyone feels included from the beginning.

One of my mains goals would be to organise more joint socials with other societies, as this is a wonderful way to meet lots of different people and it makes socials even more fun and memorable. To make sure we can have as many joint socials as possible I would make sure to be super organised at the start and contact the social secs in other societies in order to make these socials happen. I would also ask you guys if you have friends in other societies that would be interested in a joint social with Modern Dance.

Linking to this I think house pres are a key part of any social, so it would be fun to include more games at house pres both at joint socials and socials where its just us. I love the drinking games where people makes their own boards with different prompts and challenges on them, so I would be more than happy to make one of these for our house pres. Also, I would be getting creative and coming up with themed challenges for everyone depending on what the social theme was.

Another goal of mine for next year is to organise some sober socials that everyone can get involved in. These kinds of socials are a great way to get to know everyone without the drinking and they promote a healthy and inclusive environment. These kinds of socials are beneficial if people need a break from uni work, want to get involved with socials without the drinking aspect or are simply just bored and looking for a fun activity. I would work closely with our welfare rep in order to organise these events, which could include things such as a board game night, going for a hike or even a murder mystery night.

My other main priority for next year would be to organise another tour abroad, as I am jealous of the girlies that went on tour this year and I think it would be great for everyone to get another opportunity to go on tour next year. I believe a tour abroad will definitely be a highlight of the year and will be opportunity to create some fantastic memories and grow closer as a group. I would be mindful to organise a trip that is budgeted accordingly so that as many people as possible are able to attend.

I could not complete this manifesto without mentioning new social theme ideas! So here are some potential theme ideas that could be used next year:
• Mini me (dress up as your younger self)
• Greek gods and goddesses (for a joint social)
• Dress as your type
• Farmers and farm animals
• Space themed
• Dress as your degree

In addition to Wednesday socials I also think it would be fun to do a pub golf complete with a prize for the winning team, this idea could also be combined with doing the Otley run.

Finally, I will make sure to continue the tradition of social awards after every social as they are such a fun way to highlight the best modern madness moments from the night. I will also make sure to take as many pictures as my phone storage will let me to get pics of everyone’s amazing outfits and to capture all of the best moments ;)

Thank you for taking the time to consider me for one of the social sec positions!

Lila for social sec! (see poster for manifesto)