Happy New Year, guys! I hope you all had a lovely break. I spent mine back home in Basildon with my family, which was really nice. There’s something about home-cooked meals and just chilling out that makes all the difference. But I won’t lie—the first day back was a struggle. It took me way too long to remember my Outlook login, and getting back into the swing of things felt like a bit of a mission.
Before I dive in, just a quick note that there are some things I can’t go into detail about in this blog, but as always, I’ll be as open and transparent as I can. And if you ever have any questions or want to chat, my inbox is always open!
Grief Training
One of my key manifesto points when I first ran for this role was improving the training available to staff and students, and I’ve been working on that throughout my time in office. The latest addition to this is grief training. I arranged for Student Grief Network to deliver training to myself, the SU Advice team, the Activities team, HR, and Lily May. The aim was to help us better understand how to support students going through grief, and it was honestly such an impactful session. If you haven’t already, I’d really recommend checking them out: Student Grief Network. They do amazing work raising awareness about grief in university settings.
Tackling Racism and Discrimination Committee
I wish I had more to update you on here, but at the moment, I’m still working my way through the survey data. A huge thank you to everyone who shared or responded we got 228 responses, which is just incredible! Some really strong themes are emerging, particularly around student activities, and I’ve scheduled a meeting with our CEO to go over the findings before the next committee meeting. More updates to come soon!
Nations Unite Basketball Game
I had the chance to support Essex Sport with the Nations Unite basketball game, which was such a great experience. As someone with dual nationality, I love events like this, where you get to celebrate your country and heritage. A lot of work went into making it happen, and it was amazing to see so many people get involved. The atmosphere was electric, and the game itself was brilliant!
S.H.A.G Week (Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance Week)
Planning for S.H.A.G Week is well underway, and I won’t lie it’s been a bit stressful! Juggling planning multiple events (Event permission forms, risk assessments and marketing) while keeping up with my usual job duties is definitely a challenge. But it’s all coming together, and I’m really excited for what’s in store. We’ve got a great line-up of activities to promote sexual health awareness including a brand new event… Sex Toy Bingo!
And finally… election season is creeping up! If you’ve ever thought about running for a position, now is the time to start thinking seriously about it. It’s honestly such a rewarding experience, and I’d encourage anyone who’s passionate about making a difference to consider getting involved and if you did want find out more about my role please do reach out
That’s it from me I hope you all have a great start to the term! And as always, if you’ve got any questions or want to chat about anything, drop me a message or catch me around campus.