AU President

Inclusion:

As AU President, I would work closely with the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team to break down the barriers to sport that many students face. I believe that there is more that we, as a university, can be proactive with in order to achieve this.

I want to make the UK Disability History Month an annual focal point, particularly since Movember has highlighted how successfully our student body can work together. Alongside the Student Disability Campaign, we would educate clubs about visible and invisible disabilities, to make members aware of how they can help. Throughout this month, I’d help clubs host more accommodating taster sessions, and work to make the implementation of inclusive sessions more of a normality throughout the year.

Support and Wellbeing:

The aspect of my campaign that I am most passionate about, the wellbeing of our community, is hugely important to me. This year, I’ve been working to provide the lacrosse club with workshops for women, focusing on positive mindsets and self-confidence within sport. With the help of the AU, I want to continue this initiative next year and offer a series of workshops to all female/mixed clubs. 

I’d continue to offer the Good Lad Initiative workshops and encourage more people to attend, particularly committee members. That way, they can lead from the front and help educate their members further.

Finally, I’d like to develop a wider range of training opportunities for committee members. In better preparing students for their roles, their clubs would benefit, as would their individual skills and future prospects as a result.

Providing More Opportunities:

I’d work with the AU to secure membership support each year. Students who regard membership fees as a barrier to participation could apply for reduced memberships, depending on individual clubs’ funds.

I’d also like to help the AU offer more competitive sports opportunities, finding a middle ground between commitment to BUCS and more relaxed participation in intramural sport. Implementing a new league next year would bridge this gap. Students would have the opportunity to play competitively, without the pressure of sacrificing too much of their time for BUCS.

For many students, COVID-19 is challenging their wellbeing now more than ever, and sport plays a key role in combating this. It is vital that our students have the equal opportunity to participate in sport, and I hope you will join me in my campaign to make this possible.