Support and Reward Clubs & Societies - Champion Student Associations, Activism and Volunteering - Make A Safer and More Inclusive Campus - Bring the Olympics to QUB with a Summer Sports Day!
Who am I?
Hello! I'm an English with Creative Writing graduate and Master's student from County Down, NI, who's been very involved with clubs, societies and other volunteer roles for 3 years, mainly through the English Society where I'm in my second year as President, but also through Homework Clubs and SU Council. I know just how important all Clubs, Socs and Student Associations are at Queens, with virtually everyone I know at Uni exploring hobbies, building confidence and skills, or socialising through them. I also know just how difficult being in a committee can be, with seemingly endless free time being sacrificed for passion projects, which is why I believe - whether you're deeply involved or a casual event goer - it's time to better support and reward the many dedicated volunteers around Uni who enrich the wider QUB community.
My Main Aims:
Support and Reward Clubs & Societies
- Urgently improve the committee handover and training process to raise the confidence of committee members, who are often thrown in the deep-end and don't know where to find support. I would achieve this by using my experience to create new general and role-specific guides and resources, host skills-building workshops (such as on running a formal, or using social media to reach people), and facilitate network events for people to share advice and work together - all so that C&S can confidently deal with any issues that emerge without getting stuck or frustrated.
- Provide more financial support by expanding eligibility for funding - especially to small or new societies with less resources - and bringing back the post-Covid scheme of giving students subsidised vouchers to sign up to one society of their choosing for free at Fresher's Fair, as the cost-of-living situation has only gotten more expensive since then, contributing to declining membership rates and attendance across C&S events.
- Expand the annual SU Awards to show off and reward more amazing committees and individuals for their efforts, because running a Club or Society can be stressful, and by making it as fun as possible, committees can make events as fun as possible for everyone else!
Champion Student Associations, Activism and Volunteering
- Take part in and raise awareness for the campaigns and causes championed by the amazing student activism of Associations and SU Volunteers, who make a valuable contribution to enriching the Uni and city for everyone.
- Continue and increase the Student Associations and Volunteering Mini-Fairs and encourage more students to get involved by sharing available incentives like free coffee catchups and the Future Ready Award scheme for anyone unfamiliar so more people take advantage of extracurriculars to enhance their CVs and employable skills.
Make A Safer and More Inclusive Campus
- With femicide a rising crisis in Northern Ireland, it's essential to support and increase safety measures undertaken by the Uni and SU in recent years such as free self-defence classes and the Green Dot Active Bystander training.
- Take steps to make campus more inclusive to international, disabled, LGBTQ+ and postgrad students - all of whom are groups that can feel unwelcome engaging with activities around campus and from the SU - by hosting a forum to give Student Associations the opportunity as a collective to have their say on next steps to improve inclusiveness, and work with the Accessible Education Officer to implement recommendations.
- Ease the financial burdens many students feel, through the above-mentioned measures for C&S as well as making the free refill Pantry in the SU Foyer more open and useful to all students and exploring financial advice workshops as many students feel failed by schools and want to know more about managing money responsibly.
Bring the Olympics to QUB with a Summer Sports Day (& other social initiatives)
- In the spirit of the Olympics this year, create a QSU annual summer Sports Day event, working with the PEC, sporting Clubs, and the SU's social media team to show off the talent of students across multiple events and increase community spirit within the university!
- Bring back the SU's Battle of the Bands event to highlight musical talent at QUB.
My experience (AKA, how you know I'll actually get all that done):
- English Society President (2024-present), Events Officer (2023-24)
- Editor for the Gorgon Magazine (2024-present)
- Homework Club Volunteer (2023-24, 2025-present)
- Societies Rep on SU Council (2025-present)
- Councillor on the Clubs & Societies Committee (2025-present)
- Councillor on the Standing Committee; responsible for reviewing SU policy (2025-present)
Please lend me your No. 1 vote for Activities & Engagement Officer March 2-5th if you believe in my enthusiasm and experience!
My Linktree