Hi I am Freya, a third year psychology student running to be your next community officer!
Why have #Faith In Freya?
I pledge to focus on these core areas of student experience, continuing to develop links in the community and aspiring to reach out to those on the fringe.
Mental Health
- I will continue working with Nightline and Student Minds promoting the sessions that they run
- Create a mental health “What’s On’ website page to help create clearer communication about the services at the university and where someone should go for a specific issue, preventing overlap
- Everyone has mental health, 1 in 4 people have mental illness during their life. Use accessible language to reduce stigma surrounding mental health. Not problems but issues or difficulties
I aspire to address student loneliness, one of the SU’s top ten priorities by:
- Creating Meet and Greet sessions beyond Fresher’s Week targeted at people who want to meet others outside their house or feel anxious about joining a group
- Supporting students in transition periods before and after placements
#NeverOK
- Revamping the campaign to serve its purpose more effectively, with online resources to educate students on what behaviour is appropriate and what sexual harassment looks like
- More transparency in how #NeverOk deals with reported cases
- Introduce safe taxi scheme to continue ensuring safe nights
Let’s talk sex
- Removing stigma from STI testing by introducing free kits during Fresher’s Fairs where students receive a freebie if they collect a test kit. Have STI kits throughout the year in Advice & Support
- Fill in gaps in sex education by working with F&GE to answers student sex questions these can be anonymously submitted online beforehand then answered by a health professional
Volunteering
- After successfully creating a volunteering executive this year I will continue to encourage collaboration between volunteering groups and improve communication
- Giving volunteer groups flexibility of committee structures to suit their needs
Diversity and Support
- Increase collaboration of D&S groups with sports, societies and volunteering after success this year in F&GE
- Work with ISA to create events celebrating international students culture, where UK students learn about other cultures to improve integration
- Break down barriers for D&S groups being overlooked by ‘Sports & Societies’ through improved signposting on the SU website rather than segregating groups from societies
Supporting Refugees
- Working with STAR and Amnesty to put pressure on the university to provide undergraduate scholarships to asylum seekers and become a University of Sanctuary
- Be able to provide the support for asylum seekers to ensure well being and create a university atmosphere and structure that supports them
Campus community
- Bridging students and the community, inviting local residents to campus for tea and talk sessions
- Working with people and planet and the activities officer to encourage affordable plant based food on campus, more food waste bins and promoting cloth swap shops
Ultimately your voice is vital in shaping my priorities, it is a students union after all! I want to hear from you what you would like me to achieve if elected, so have #Faith in Freya and vote!