BACK BRADSHAW FOR COMMUNITIES OFFICER
Who am I?
My name is Rachel Bradshaw and I am a third year Environmental Geography student here at Stirling. I have held a number of positions with the Union and Clubs and Societies these being President and Secretary Roles as well as being the current NUS Delegate for Stirling University. Through this I have learned valuable skills such as being accountable to large groups of people as well as being able to represent students at our university.
What I will do as Communities Officer-
Communication and Accountability
-I believe that student officers should be transparent in what they are working towards and what they are doing for students. I will release regular reports of what I am doing as your Communities officer and what I am working towards.
-To stay connected with the students I represent I will have dedicated ‘Office Hours’ where I will set time aside weekly to deal with any immediate issues that need my attention. Also I will publicise when these times are so that Students can approach me if they need to.
Volunteering and Employability
- I strongly believe that to make the most of the student experience here on campus is to get involved with the wider community through volunteering and other opportunities. I want to develop and improve the existing volunteering section of the union website to make it a space in which students can go and easily find volunteering opportunities in the wider community.
- I want to ensure that all students are able to have a say into what charitable work the union does by allowing students to pick what charity they would like to support as a priority charity for that year. This will open up volunteering opportunities on campus and allow students to gain experience in how to run a charity campaign as well as fundraising.
Inclusion and Community
-Being a Communities officer is about creating a community in which every student feels welcome. Through my work in the NUS I understand the importance of welcoming care experienced young people into the University community.
-Only 4% of care experienced young people are going to University, this needs to change. University should be reachable by all people regardless of their background. I will research and look at the University’s capacity to hold a Summer school which targets care experienced young people from surrounding communities with the aim to break the barrier between them and accessing a University education. Doing this will not only build self-belief in their ability but also bring to light the inequalities which this group face.
-There are incredible organisations in Scotland that we have the ability to collaborate with as a Student’s Union to make these aims a reality. We should be utilising connections we have with current students and through this creating further volunteering and skill building opportunities or all.
BACK BRADSHAW AS YOUR NEXT COMMUNTIES OFFICER ON 13TH AND 14TH MARCH VIA THE STUDENTS UNION WEBSITE!