Tell us a bit about yourself

Hello, I’m Ben! While I studied History at Portsmouth, I organised rallies, protests, boycotts, debates and marches to campaign for a range of student causes including Free Education, a boycott of Coca-Cola, as well as a campaign to raise awareness of the Palestinian right to education.

As a democratic socialist I believe in collective action, in democracy, in diversity, and in giving the power to the people.

What does your role cover?

As the title suggests I co-ordinate activities and student development within the Union. Whilst this is a large role, my three main responsibilities are societies, volunteering projects and student training:

Societies: with over 3,000 students, our 56 societies are the most diverse and representative body within the Union. If you can’t find a society that caters to your tastes, you can always create your own!

Volunteering in Portsmouth ("VIP"): run by students, for students, VIP is a key bridge between the students and the local community, running projects for local disabled children and OAPs.

“STAND”: the Union’s student development programme, providing short courses on society management, media & journalism, campaign co-ordination, and trainer training. All courses are free - after all, you pay the fees; its time you got something more then just a degree!

What do you want to achieve this year?

My key aims this year are to make your Union a diverse, democratic and representative institution that truly stands for all the students in Portsmouth.

I intend to build upon VIP to facilitate the launch of larger projects, and am also launching "Gorilla Volunteering" - a series of one-off unconventional projects throughout the year.

By helping societies to grow, by widening the remit of VIP, and by launching STAND, the opportunities for you to get involved with your Union this year are endless.