Democracy - have your say at your Union

Sun 12th Oct 2008

Hello students! My name is Ella and I am your Student Activities and Development Officer (or SADO for short, unfortunate but easier) for the next year. This means that I am here to make sure there are enough opportunities for students of Portsmouth Uni to engage in activities other than studying and sports. The main areas I deal with are Societies, Volunteering, and Training.

Societies

We have many diverse societies here at Portsmouth Uni, from religious and cultural to dancing and go-carting. We have around 60 societies already running but if there is one that doesn't cater for your interests please set one up! The societies hold many different events throughout the year, climaxing in the Carnival which is held in May (hopefully in the sunshine) to showcase their interests and skills.

Volunteering In Portsmouth (VIP)

We also offer our students the opportunity to take part in volunteering work (which is great for the cv!). We are the current holders of the HEFCE Student Volunteering Team of the Year Award. We organise volunteering projects in 3 main areas: Disabled Children, Elderly People, and The Environment.

STAND Student Training

I am also responsible for providing students with training schemes to help them stand out from other graduates. We currently offer students the opportunity to take 4 courses: Train the Trainer, Media Training, Campaign Coordination, and Societies Training.

From my year in office I hope to achieve:

1. Raise the profile of societies
2. Set up societies delelopment plan
3. Better funding and more awards for VIP
4. Develop STAND into other areas

5. Make students aware of who we are and what we do.

6. Set up more multicultural events

And here are some random facts about me:

1. My middle name is Roberta, after Bob Marley
2. I'm terribly accident prone
3. I play rugby and also do yoga
4. I have a dog called Alfy
5. I've lived in Portsmouth my whole life
6. My degree is in Economics and Law