Give It A Go 2014

Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK Saturday 25th January - Sunday 2nd February 2014

Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK If you are one of the million people who have made a New Year resolution to be more active “Give It A GO” is a great way to take part in new sports, societies or volunteering projects.

What is Give It A GO? Give It A GO is an activities programme full of new and exciting activities and sports for you to try – either for FREE or for a small fee! It gives you the chance to start the New Year trying something different that you may never have done so before.

Activities include canoeing, windsurfing, baking, swing dance, board a coach for one of our day trips, or get involved in one of the many volunteer projects on offer!

When do the Give It A GO Activities start?

Give It A GO Week will run from Saturday 25th January 2014 to Sunday 2nd February 2014, and all on offer activities will run between these dates.

How do I sign up?

You ONLY chance to sign up to one of the Give it A Go activities will be at the Sign up Fayre on Wednesday 22nd January 2014 from 12.00pm – 3.00pm.

Got a Question? Get in touch with the Student Activities Team Vicky Purcell - Societies and Media Coordinator v.purcell@reading.ac.uk 0118 378 4156 https://www.facebook.com/ReadingUniversitySocieties Daisy Clarke - Sports Development Coordinator daisy.clarke@reading.ac.uk 0118 378 4150 https://www.facebook.com/ReadingUniversitySport Amy Moss - Volunteer Coordinator a.moss@reading.ac.uk 0118 378 4111 https://www.facebook.com/RUSUVolunteering

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

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Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK Saturday 25th January Learning Lab Wildlife Fun Day Palmer Park Play Café 11.00am – 3.00pm (Hourly sessions) Free Come along to Palmer Park Playcafe to run our wildlife activity day for children. From making a collage to hunting for paw prints to handling a royal python yourself you can come along to educate and entertain primary school children from our local area and see what Learning Lab is all about.

Clay Pigeon Shooting Students’ Union Car Park 1.00pm – 6.00pm £10 For just £10, you will receive transport to and from E J Churchhill Shooting Ground in High Wycombe as well as a tuition session to learn the basic principles of safety, loading and unloading. Not only that, you will also be able to shoot 25 clays under supervision of an instructor.

Canoe and BBQ Students’ Union Car Park 1.00pm – 5.00pm Free Whether you are a beginner or an absolute pro; why not come along to our free taster session and give it a go? With all the equipment you need to get on the water and free instruction you can either learn a brand new skill or build on an old one. Join us in the Students’ Union Car Park at 1pm for free transport to Wokingham Waterside Centre.

Make sure you bring a change of warm, dry clothes and bring trainers, no flipflops.

Erasmus + Travel Society Trip to Windsor Castle 9.00am – 4.00pm £15 Leave Whiteknights campus (20/21 bus stops) at 9am and return at 4pm. We will travel to and from Windsor by coach and the return coach travel is included in the trip price. We will all visit Windsor Castle in the morning.

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

We suggest about 3 hours looking around the castle and grounds. After lunch, you will have the afternoon to spend in the town centre, there are plenty of shops and cafes and riverside walks. The castle is right by the river Thames so there are plenty of parks and things to do nearby!

Sunday 26th January Archery BalloonPoster Shoot SportsPark 12.00pm – 3.00pm £1 We have all the equipment you need including right and left handed recurve bows and arrows, so just come along and learn how to shoot a bow and arrow at posters of celebrities and historical and fantasy villains for just £1. There will be sweets for prizes Evolution Handball SportsPark 1.45pm – 2.45pm £2 This is a fantastic opportunity to take part in a 6 week Handball introductory scheme which allows you to get to grips with the basics of this exciting game as well as competing in fun small sided matches. Each session costs just £2 for those who sign up on Wednesday 22nd January and for £1 if you bring a friend.

Christian Union – The Mark Drama Minghella Building 7.30pm – 9.00pm Free An 90 minute presentation of the life of Jesus following the account in the bible given by Mark. We would like to invite students to come along and watch the performance and stay afterwards for refreshments.

Monday 27th January Tea Party at Boaters Bar RUSU Reception 1.45pm – 4.00pm

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Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK Free We will be taking ten elderly residents of Lakeside Care Home for Afternoon Tea in Boaters Bar. The afternoon will involve chatting to the residents, making sure they are having a lovely time and reading stories to them. Places are limited to so please contact us as soon as possible if you would like to come along! Transport and food provided.

RU Not Drinking Much - Games Night Palmer 106 7.00pm – 9.30pm Free RUNDM games nights have been a success this year and last year - students bring their own games and gather in an informal setting in Palmer to spend the evening having fun.

Games can include anything from Articulate to Pictionary to cards. This informal evening welcomes members and non-members and is completely free of charge.

Sci-Fi – Geek Societies Night HumSS room 125 7.00pm – 9.00pm Free A whole corridor of geeky societies ready and waiting to welcome people in! The Sci-Fi society will be showing the Star Wars focused film Fanboys, and we hope everybody will enjoy!

Boat Club Trials SportsPark Time TBC For all students who are up for this motivating and rewarding challenge, come along to our Give It A GO session where we will put you through your paces including a short watt bike test as well as rowing machine drills and technique coaching.

Aikido Taster Session London Road Campus Gym 8.00pm – 10.00pm Free Improve your fitness, confidence and coordinator in this intriguing and exciting martial art. You will learn self defence basics

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

from instructors who have over 50 years of experience between them and Aikido is a non competitive and non aggressive martial art.

All beginners are welcome!

Casual Run Outside SportsPark 7.00pm – 8.00pm Free This fun run is designed for all abilities and great for students who have no previous experience before and are looking for a great way to meet new people and get fit.

Try Scuba Diving Carrington Building 7.15pm – 9.00pm Free Come and try Scuba Diving for the first time with Reading University Sub Aqua Club. You will learn the basic principles of diving in a local swimming pool with qualified instructors. This is a fantastic opportunity not to be missed and for free!

Hip Hop Taster Session 3sixty, Students’ Union 6.00pm – 7.00pm Free Learn hip hop moves to impress all your mates at this introductory session to Hip Hop put on by Reading University Breakdance sports club.

Swimming Taster Session Academy Pool, 7.00am – 8.30am Leighton Park, 8.30am – 9.30pm Free Are you a competitive swimmer or someone who would like to improve or get fit? We cater for everyone! Why not come to our free sessions, we have 6 training sessions and feel free to attend as many or as few as you wish.

Tuesday 28th January RAG Summer Fete RUSU Reception

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Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK 12.00pm – 4.00pm Free RAG will be holding a mini fete in the Students’ Union to raise money for a little boy called Zakk who needs an operation to help him walk. We would love volunteers to staff stalls like ‘guess how many sweets in a jar’ and a tombola or to come up with your own fundraising idea. We need to raise £1000 to help Zakk so your help would be so valuable. It will also be a great chance to come and see what RAG do!

Swimming Taster Session SportsPark, 7.30am – 8.30am Leighton Park, 8.00pm – 9.00pm Free Are you a competitive swimmer or someone who would like to improve or get fit? We cater for everyone. Why not come to our free sessions, we have 6 training sessions and feel free to attend as many or as few as you wish.

Poker Session Upstairs in 3Sixty, Students’ Union 7.30pm – 9pm £1 Come and give poker a go in the New Year.

It’s £1 to enter and there are some great prizes, so come along and learn the game in a risk free environment. Don’t worry if you haven’t played before, the exec team will be there to deal and lend a helping hand all night!

Vegetarian and Vegan - Bake Off HumSS 7.00pm – 9.00pm Free Contestants can bake at home and bring their entry with them; each can be reimbursement up to £5 for ingredients. Each attendee can try and judge the baked goods, ultimately leading to a winner receiving a prize.

AISEC – Leadership in 21st Century Business Location TBC 7.00pm – 9.00pm Free Many graduate jobs are linked with leadership, this talk will explain why, and at

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

the end there will be the opportunity to find out how AIESEC Reading can help in this journey.

RUDDIYs – Canvas Painting Palmer G03 7.00pm – 9.00pm Free Whether you consider yourself to have an artistic streak or not this event is a chance to create your very own wall-worthy masterpiece! Each member or Give-It-A-Go participant will be given their own mini canvas to paint whatever they wish using acrylic and will be able to take the their masterpiece home with them.

Boat Club Trials SportsPark Time TBC For all students who are up for this motivating and rewarding challenge, come along to our Give It A GO session where we will put you through your paces including a short watt bike test as well as rowing machine drills and technique coaching.

Wednesday 29th January Mixed Hockey Astroturf, SportsPark 5.30pm – 7.00pm Free We are a hockey club that accommodates all skill levels and will cater to your needs to make sure you get the most from hockey and the club. Everyone has the chance to play in matches and we encourage beginners to get involved. Come down whatever level you are at and meet a great bunch of people up for a laugh and enjoy some hockey.

Kickboxing London Road Campus Gym 5.00pm – 7.00pm Free A great place to get fit, meet new people and learn self-defence. You can expect a good CV warm-up, running through some

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Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK techniques, a bit of pad work and then rounding up the session with some sparring.

RAG Collection for Zakk Broad Street, Reading Town Centre 12.00pm – 4.00pm Free We will be dressing as pirates and going to Reading town centre to raise even more money for Zakk and we need people to help us collect as much money as possible! We also need performers to dance and busk whilst we collect money. You can come for as long as you want to.

Polo Taster Session SportsPark Pavilion 1.00pm – 5.00pm Free We will be putting on free transport to Fifield Polo Club where you will learn to ride a horse and practice shots as well as practicing the polo ‘seat’ and at the end play a short chukka. All of this provided free of charge and you will be instructed buy one of England’s pro polo player and coach.

Strictly Come Dancing Strikes Reading University Wessex Hall (dining room) 4 .00pm – 6.00pm £2 Bring your friends and housemates to watch Ballroom and Latin demonstrations from two national champions and then try it for yourself! You will be taught by qualified dancers and a great opportunity to learn the basics in a fun and social atmosphere.

American Football SportsPark Pavilion 2.00pm – 4.00pm Free American Football is the fastest growing sport in the UK and now you have the chance to try out this sport for yourself. It doesn't matter if you've never played or even watched the sport before. All you'll need is a pair of football boots and our team of highly experienced coaches will provide all the guidance you need to get started; and all for

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

free! So come and get a taste of this dynamic sport, meet some new people and enjoy the team atmosphere.

Baking Society Palmer 104 7.30pm – 9.00pm Free We will have a few different tables where people will be taught how to decorate cakes and biscuits with different designs. Each person will get to decorate at least two cakes and two biscuits which they can eat or take home.

Swing Dance Society – Tea Party Wessex Hall 7.30pm – 9.30pm Free We shall be holding a Vintage tea partyWhere students are welcome to dress up.

We will provide a variety of cakes/biscuits and drinks for the occasion. New students can have a taster lesson of Lindy and then stay to socialise/dance/eat with current members and committee in an informal setting.

Thursday 30th January Secret Garden Open Day RUSU Reception 1.45pm – 4.00pm Free We will be visiting our secret garden to finish making raised beds, plant our first plants, make scarecrows to scare away fruit-eating birds and, once the hard work is done, enjoy a barbeque at 4pm.

Kung Fu SportsPark 8.00pm – 10.00pm Free

The Kung Fu club practice Wu Shu Kwan, a traditional Chinese martial art. The club offers excellent self-defence training and is also a great form of exercise. Regular training offers

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Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK many benefits including improved heath, coordination, discipline and confidence. No previous experience is necessary and you can be of any level of fitness. As with any art, it can't be mastered in a day; but with regular practice your fitness increases and your ability to defend yourselves and others improves every week.

Salsa Party Wessex Hall (dining room) 7.00pm – 9.00pm £2 Bring friends and housemates to our Salsa Party! Our professional Salsa coach will teach you basic salsa moves in a sociable and fun way, including games and activities. Even themed food and drink will be offer for you and your friends at the end.

Zumba UV Session 3Sixty, Students’ Union 5.00pm – 6.00pm £3 A fun filled hour Zumba session with a UV theme. You will be provided with glow sticks and UV face paint to existing members (£1 to non-members). We are planning to have the UV cannons as well as the dance floor lights on so we can Zumba essentially in the dark and so that the UV paint/glow sticks show up.

We will have a range of standard Zumba tracks plus some extras to reflect the theme.

All students to wear black/white or neon colours.

Friday 31st January Play Street RUSU Reception 2.00pm – 5.00pm Free Play Street will be particularly playful this month with giant inflatable jousting, a bouncy castle and sumo wrestling suits! Come along to play games with the children and have loads of fun in the process!

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

Lacrosse Astroturf, SportsPark 7.30pm – 9.00pm Free Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing university sports in the country. There are male and female teams within the club. Most students’ join without ever playing before, it's the perfect sport for anyone who wants to try something new. Men's lacrosse is a high contact sport whilst women's is minimal contact. We have American coaches to turn you into swanky lacrosse experts.

Korfball SportsPark 5.45pm – 7.45pm Free We are a really friendly club offering you an introduction to the sport, outlining different rules and skills using games and fun activities.

Don’t miss out on the chance to try Korfball and don’t miss out on the free pizza and drink in Park Bar. Athletics Track Session Outside Palmer Building 5.30pm – 7.00pm Free This fun run is designed for all abilities and great for students who have no previous experience of track before and are looking for a great way to meet new people and get fit.

Kickboxing London Road Campus Gym 5.00pm – 7.00pm Free A great place to get fit, meet new people and learn self-defence. You can expect a good CV warm-up, running through some techniques, a bit of pad work and then rounding up the session with some sparring.

Breakdance Taster Session SportsPark 7.00pm – 9.00pm Free Learn break-dance moves from experienced break-dancers to impress all your mates at

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Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK this introductory session put on by Reading University Breakdance sports club.

Mixed Hockey Astroturf, SportsPark 6.00pm – 7.30pm Free We are a hockey club that accommodates all skill levels and will cater to your needs to make sure you get the most from hockey and the club. Everyone has the chance to play in matches and we encourage beginners to get involved. Come down whatever level you are at and meet a great bunch of people up for a laugh and enjoy some hockey.

Jewish Society – Shabbat Meal Location TBC 6.00pm – 8.00pm £1 Shabbat Dinners are quintessential to Jewish culture and faith, and we have found them to be a great way of uniting people. We will have a meal followed by traditional Jewish Friday night singing and prayers.

Saturday 1st February Playcafe Maintanence Palmer Park Playcafe 12.00pm – 2.00pm, 2.00pm – 4.00pm Or 4.00pm – 6.00pm Free Come along to help the Playcafe with their early spring clean by helping paint and spruce the building up so even more children can enjoy their services. Sensible clothes that you don’t mind getting pain on required.

Windsurfing Taster Day and BBQ Students’ Union Car Park 11.00am – 5.00pm £10 We will be putting on transport from the Students’ Union Car Park to Bray Lake Windsurfing Centre for a full day of windsurfing lessons with other students who are new to this activity as well as a BBQ

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

afterwards! We are an easy going club, plus one of the only extreme sports club in Reading, so try something a bit different this year.

Photo Soc – Portrait Shooting Meet outside Palmer Building 12.00pm – 3.00pm £2 A model photo shoot, starting off outside with backdrops around campus. If bad weather is forecast the event will be run inside in a studio set up. Photographers will be separated in groups of mixed abilities and given tips and information on producing a good portrait photograph.

Sunday 2nd February Evolution Handball SportsPark 1.45pm – 2.45pm £2 This is a fantastic opportunity to take part in a 6 week Handball introductory scheme which allows you to get to grips with the basics of this exciting game as well as competing in fun small sided matches. Each session costs just £2 for those who sign up on Wednesday 22nd January and for £1 if you bring a friend.

Wednesday 5th February Riding Taster Day Students’ Union Car Park 11.00 – 5.00pm Free

We’re a fun and friendly club open to riders of all abilities, from beginners to accomplished riders. We will provide free transport to Wellington Riding School where you can be taught anything from flatwork to cross country by some fantastic BHS trained instructors on a brilliant range of horses matched to your ability. Lessons usually cost £22.50 for a group hour, but we are offering you this session for free!

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Student Activities: GIVE IT A GO WEEK

For more information please visit www.rusu.co.uk/activities

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