Thank you to all our members of staff, Trustees and Presidents for making the 22/23 academic year such a diverse, engaging, sustainable and successful year.
This year, the team created a series of fantastic campaigns and events which brought both our students and campuses together, demonstrating the positive impact that we are having on our members.
One of our fundamental campaigns has been the Cost of Living campaign, which has proved extremely popular with students, at a time when costs are soaring. The campaign involved providing regular free meals for students across Frenchay, Glenside and Bower campuses, as well as uniform swap shops, bring your own cup and bag initiatives and free sustainable period products.
Another highlight has been the Presidents’ work around Black History Month and Celebrating Black Excellence, which took place in October. The campaign featured a wide range of events, such as documentaries and film screenings, mental health events, and sporting events, as well as the annual Hall of Fame, which was led by VP Education Lily Diyemowei.
Other successes have included furthering our incredible work in the field of sustainability. This has included engaging more than 800 students in sustainable fashion activities, and more than 800 students in the ‘Sustainable Food for All’ campaign, as well as creating a climate education module at UWE. We also achieved ‘Excellent’ for our Green Impact submission, as well as the ‘Highest Scoring Students’ Union’ for an impressive seventh year in a row.
We are enormously proud of the Welcome programme that we delivered for new and returning students, which included fantastic Welcome Fairs at Bower Ashton and Glenside and the Freshers’ Fair at Frenchay. These were complemented by a wide variety of day and night-time events tailored to suit our diverse student population.
Please read on to learn more about all the wonderful things that we have achieved for our members this year.
My focus this year was to enhance cost of living support for students. We implemented a range of measures, including weekly free meals and sustainable period products.
One of my standout moments was the launch of the Speak Up Pledge during Speak Up Week, which reaffirmed our strong commitment to tackling racism, sexual harassment, and all forms of discrimination. As a direct result of this initiative, I was invited to speak at ‘Tackling Sexual Harassment and Violence in Higher Education’ conference organised by Westminster Insights.
To enrich the student experience for international students at UWE, I established the International Students’ Committee, which served as a platform to amplify their voices and cater to their unique needs, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment.
Throughout the year, I represented the interests of students both locally and nationally. I co-founded and co-chaired the Southwest Sabbatical Officers’ Network in collaboration with the President of Bath Spa SU. Additionally, I led the UWE delegation at the NUS National Conference, and represented the voices of international students at the UKCISA Fest.
I had the privilege of providing evidence to the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee on the work of the Office for Students and served as a Commissioner on the One City Living Rent Commission at Bristol City Council, actively contributing to their response to the Renters Reform Bill.
I take immense pride in the achievements of my team. The numerous impactful campaigns and events we organised have undeniably made a positive and enduring difference, significantly enhancing the student experience at UWE.
I started off my campaigns with Human Library Days across all campuses, providing an opportunity for students to listen to others tell their inspiring stories. I then went on to launch the Celebrating Culture Hall of Fame that saw 28 individuals from ethnic minorities celebrated for their amazing work and contributions to the University.
During January exams, I distributed 1000 exam de-stress bags to students and received a lot of amazing feedback from students on how they felt loved and seen. As the lead president for the Women’s History Month, I planned and executed several activities for women to enjoy throughout the month, the highlight being the launch of the Women’s Hall of Fame which saw the celebration of 13 women that were doing extremely well in their fields.
I was also involved in the monthly Disability Awareness Action (DAA) Events, supporting students with disabilities. I also attended important meetings like UQSSC, LTSEC and Academic Board where the student voice was important and I contributed my quota in policy creation and amendment. Finally, I hosted The Student Experience Awards where several awards were given to deserving staff and students for their hard work throughout the year.
I have had a successful and impactful first tenure. One of my major achievements was bringing back UWE Bristol’s Got Talent, which saw 86 students from all campuses audition, 10 students made it to the finals, and 3 were crowned winners. This event showcased the immense talent that the student community has to offer and provided a platform for students to express themselves and showcase their skills.
I also hosted a TEDx event, with the theme Bags and Baggage, aimed at building a sense of belonging for students. I organised a football competition for national societies members who wanted to join the football sports club, but couldn’t. We created an inclusive environment, it was great to see students of all genders and backgrounds taking part.
I was also the lead for Black History Month and organised various activities and events to celebrate students who identified as Black. This event recognised and highlighted the contributions of Black individuals to society and promoted diversity and inclusivity on campus.
Overall, my tenure as VP of Societies and Communication has been impactful and successful, I have brought positive changes and created opportunities for the student community at UWE Bristol.
After an eventful and productive year, I am pleased to report that I have successfully fulfilled all of the promises I made. As an international student, I am grateful to have been a representative for all students, ensuring their voices are heard equally. This journey has not only improved myself but also ignited a deeper passion within me to work for the betterment of students and the community.
I had the privilege of representing The Students’ Union at the Westminster conference, where I shared our effective harm reduction approach regarding drugs and alcohol. Our hard work, alongside the university teams, has been recognised with an award from SOS-UK.
I organised mental health workshops on each campus which educated students on basic strategies and daily routines to enhance their mental well-being, and promoted balance and self-care.
Throughout the year, I collaborated with Terrence Higgins Trust to provide students with free safe sex materials and educate them on the available options and sexual health support.
I have consistently advocated for the needs of international students throughout the year, providing valuable feedback to relevant departments within the University, contributing to the improvement of our services and the creation of safe and inclusive campuses.
This has truly been a remarkable year for me as I have accomplished the goals set out in my manifesto. One of my achievements was integrating certain courses with sports clubs, allowing for the exchange of knowledge and experience to enhance value. For instance, the BA Media Communication coursework involved working on Varsity, resulting in a wealth of insights and ideas from the students.
I ran a survey across our sports clubs to emphasize the dilemma between attending their classes and representing TeamUWE. This brought up bigger insights and issues, resulting in UWE highlighting and making sure that all staff are aware that recording lectures is now mandatory.
I have also introduced the Sports Swap Shop which aimed to tackle the issue of expensive kit and equipment, I hope to see it continued over the next few years.
Furthermore, I worked collaboratively with my team on various initiatives, such as Sports N Colour events for Black History Month.
Lastly, I am particularly proud to have brought back Varsity as it hasn’t happened since 2019. We brought together four universities to compete here at UWE, resulting in a resounding success, with more than 450 players and 500 enthusiastic UWE spectators in attendance.
With the worsening cost of living crisis, The Students’ Union launched a Cost of Living Support package.
This included weekly free meals across all three campus sites, as well as Bring Your Own Bag events where students were invited to bring their own bag along to collect a range of free household essentials.
Another key part of this campaign was the Uniform Swap Shop held at Glenside, offering students a more eco and budget-friendly option for placement uniforms.
Students were able to collect free Natracare single use period products at our weekly period stalls and were given the opportunity to sign up to a free sustainable period product trial.
In October, the Presidents team marked Black History Month with a campaign titled Celebrating Black Excellence. Throughout the month we held a range of events to engage with students, such as documentary and film screenings, mental health events which explored Black identity at University, and Sports N Colours events which encouraged Black students especially to try out different sports in friendly games with other students.
We also saw the launch of the Celebrating Culture Hall of Fame, led by VP Education Lily Diyemowei, to recognise UWE students and staff from ethnically diverse backgrounds who have achieved great things.
The Students’ Union is committed to embedding sustainability into all that we do, working proactively in partnership with UWE to bring about meaningful change.
Five ways we have had positive impact this academic year…
1. We ran a successful campaign to create a climate education module at UWE, launching September 2023, meaning more students can learn about the climate crisis, whatever their subject of study.
2. 318 students signed up for our sustainable period product trial, we gave away free products to encourage sustainable behaviour change and save students money.
3. We engaged 837 students in sustainable fashion activities across all three campuses; including mending sessions and charity shop crawls. We also launched a Placement Uniform Swap at Glenside which has saved students nearly £9,000. We worked with UWE to launch our Sustainability Hub to swap and repair items.
4. We ran 23 Community Garden sessions with the Grounds Team and 9 Conservation Volunteering Days in local woodlands, where 6 students have been trained to lead the sessions.
5. The Sustainability Committee ran the ‘Sustainable Food for All’ campaign. Over 800 students engaged through 9 events, including a sustainable cooking class and a bring and share where students brought in a sustainable version of a dish from their country.
EXAM STRESS RELIEF BAGS
The Exam Stress Relief Bags Campaign aims to enhance students’ university experience by encouraging them to take care of their mind and body whilst ensuring that they make the best of the assessment period, our Presidents engaged with 1,000 students through this campaign, promoting self-care tactics and showcasing the support services that UWE Bristol has to offer.
MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOPS
Rahul Aswani, VP Community and Welfare, organised workshops for students at Frenchay, Glenside and Bower campuses in February 2023. Entitled ‘Study & Self-Care workshop: strategies for your mental health’, they helped students understand the mental health scale, how to be preventative, and create good habits for self-care. Each participant received a Study & Self Care planner. The workshops were attended by 35 students across the three campuses, students said:
• “Thank you for giving this workshop today, as it gave some different perspectives.”
• “I’ve always thought mental health was important, but where I come from it’s not spoken about.”
• “You’ve taught me that we all have mental health and there’s no shame in talking about it and exploring it.”
MEET THE GUIDE DOGS
Meet The Guide Dogs is an event designed to help busy, stressed healthcare students unwind by spending time with a canine companion, as well as improving their knowledge and understanding of disabilities. 50 students enjoyed this event, “Meeting the guide dogs was definitely the highlight of my week, so cute”.
23 January - 9 Feburary
be distributing exam stress relief packages across all campuses to encourage you to care for yourself during the assessment period. We hope this package puts a smile on your face, helps you to destress and calm down, and make you even more productive.
Our packages will be distributed as below:
23 January - Frenchay Campus - 11:00 - 16:00
25 January - Frenchay Campus - 11:00 - 16:00
26 January - Bower Ashton Campus - 12:00 - 15:00
9 February - Glenside Campus - 12:00 - 15:00
Look after yourselves, with love from The Students' Union at UWE, in collaboration with Feel Good and UWE Library
9 February 12:00 - 14:00 The Students’ Union, Glenside Campus
13 February 12.30 - 2.30
The Students’ Union, Bower Ashton Campus
16 February 12:00 - 14:00 The Students’ Union, Frenchay Campus
20 - 26 February
The Students’ Union is run by students and the higher-level decisions and actions are decided by the elected Student Council and Executive. Student Ideas are submitted by students throughout the year to have a positive change on The Students’ Union, university or wider community.
The 11 Part Time Officers (PTOs) volunteer their time to support the student groups that they represent. The PTOs campaigned with students on areas like sustainability, welfare, disability action and decolonisation of the curriculum. Student Reps represent the student voice throughout the UWE Bristol academic governance structures raising issues and good practice on students’ behalf in meetings at course, school, college and university levels.
The Advice Centre supports students throughout the year with areas like accommodation problems, academic misconduct and other issues. Working in partnership with UWE Bristol, The Students’ Union supports the Student Consultation Panel enabling students to have their say throughout the University ensuring your voice is heard at decision time.
You are invited to the Accommodation Fair
TUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 12:00 – 15:00
The Students’ Union, Frenchay Campus thestudentsunion.co.uk/advice advice@uwe.ac.uk 0117 32 82676
DISABILITY HISTORY MONTH
The Students’ Union at UWE collaborated with UWE Bristol in the creation of our event programme. On the 5 December, The Students’ Union and UWE BSL Society hosted a film screening and introduction to BSL. We ran Disability Action Awareness events across all three campus sites. Events were popular with over 80+ attendees at Bower Ashton. Good feedback from these events were raised. WECIL were in attendance for our second round of DAA events and provided good feedback and were able to answer questions from our community. On the 21 and 23 November UWE Bristol Library hosted book giveaways, hiding books around campus- Odd girl out: Autistic Women in Neurotypical World and Disability and Other Human Questions. Aiming to showcase the breadth of neurodiversity and the label of disabled.
1 – 31 March
