My name is Taiyeb, and I am a third-year law student. I am standing for the position of Welfare and Community Officer. The reason why I am standing for this post is to support the students studying in this university. My objective is to understand the downfalls of welfare and our community and adhere to making improvements.
Why I should be elected?
The reason why I should be elected as the welfare and community officer is that I strongly believe I can make a change in this area. It is a passion for myself to make changes and support the students on and off the campus. As well as successfully completing your studies, it is equally important to enjoy your experience in university. We as a community need to feel engaged, involved and noticed and if elected I will ensure this happens.
I have many transferable skills and excellent work ethics which will allow me to represent you. These skills can be seen in my previous job where I voluntarily worked as a youth worker.
My 5 action plans are:
Mental health issues: I believe that mental health is a hidden issue in the university that is not dealt with adequately. Psychiatric Morbidity Survey shows an increase in the prevalence of common mental health disorders for 16-24 years-olds which is having a detrimental effect on their education. This indicates that young adults are more likely to need mental health support while studying at universities. If elected I will ensure that people suffering from mental health issues are provided with more support by offering more counselling session.
Motivation: Statistics show only 67.5 per cent of UEL students complete their course. This suggests that a third of the students do not get the opportunity to complete their university studies. It is essential that students are motivated to carry on studying. This can be achieved by having more motivational speakers from other organisations attending university and giving speeches and also having one-on-one mentorship regularly to keep students motivated and focused.
Personal Development: Many students graduate having excellent academic knowledge but minimal development skills for the specified job role. The ideal solution for this is to provide training and mentoring in order to prepare students for work life. This can be done by creating closer links with employers.
Holding a strong community together: Currently, only 41 per cent of UEL students feel a sense of community. This is a huge concern that needs to be addressed. I believe we can hold more traditional events in each calendar month such as Black History Month, Holocaust event, World Peace day etc. This will make students feel more involved and included as part of the university.
Student Jobs: It is agreed that there are part-time job opportunities available for students, but not enough. The solution is to work closely with the employment team and create more job opportunities for students on and off campuses.