ELECTION ADDRESS

• I’ve been on the Badminton club committee for 4 years now, volunteering as Social Secretary, Secretary, President, and Outreach Officer. Throughout, I’ve demonstrated that I perform well both independently and as part of a team, leading the committee to drive club development and improve accessibility, participation, and performance in sport.
• Within these roles I’ve already worked to introduce non-gendered language and events into routine club activity, joined discussions with external LGBT Equality groups, and distributed resources to members on confronting micro-aggressions appropriately. I would encourage all clubs to establish or develop their own such initiatives too, with support from central SU resources.
• I’ve served as Honorary Secretary on the SU Executive Committee for two years, which involves sitting on almost all SU committees from Awards to Policy working groups. As such I have contributed to discussions on all aspects of sport at Edinburgh, building strong knowledge of current SU governance and processes.
• I intend to use this insight to develop current Inclusion projects including the Active Bystander and gender-based violence training, as well as to pursue areas that would benefit from new efforts, such as the recent Culture and Initiations work and boosting the disability sport offering in Edinburgh. From volunteering with a local disability badminton club every week, I especially want to see a relationship develop between the SU and local disability sport groups.
• I’ve enjoyed some amazing times with the badminton club and with the wider Sport community around Edinburgh, and I want to make sure that everyone at Edinburgh gets the opportunity to have those experiences with the sports they love too; there should be no barriers for any student to enjoy the physical, social, and emotional benefits that sport can bring.

MANIFESTO

Having been on the Sports Union Executive Committee as Honorary Secretary for two years, I have gained experience in almost every aspect of the Sport offering at Edinburgh and its organisation. I now want to use this insight and my passion for sport to support and advance the SU’s inclusion efforts, to ensure sport is accessible to every student, staff, and external member who wants to be a part of our community.

• I’ve been President of a club with over 300 people, and as part of the Executive Committee I’ve also helped make decisions that affect the over-7000 members of the Sports Union. My other roles across my four years as a club volunteer have included developing relationships between student sport and the community, volunteering with disability sport, and finding new ways to encourage everyone to engage with the sport community as a way to develop both physical and social wellbeing. As Honorary Secretary I’ve sat on nearly every SU Committee, so I have very strong knowledge of Sport at Edinburgh’s governance and processes. As such, I know what’s being done currently, where there is scope for more work, and what support can be available for new projects moving forward.
• Throughout my volunteer work I’ve shown that I can drive development and lead improvements in accessibility and participation at a club level, by use of my strengths in creative thinking and problem solving as well as teamwork, adaptability, and passion. I would now love the opportunity to continue and expand such work across all of Sport as VP for Inclusion.
• My previous work on improving Inclusion in Sport in the badminton club has included the introduction of non-gendered language and events into routine club activity, to replace outdated practices; joining discussions with wider external LGBT Equality working groups; distributing resources to members on confronting micro-aggressions in sport; and supporting disability badminton players both at recreational sessions and at national competitions. I know that many sports clubs already do similar work, and I would encourage all to establish and share their own such initiatives with support from central SU resources, to allow sport across the board to benefit from becoming more accessible.
• As a member of the Executive Committee already I’ve sat on Sport Culture working groups and reviewed SU policies on Safety and Equity. From sitting on the Awards Committees, I’ve read much about individual clubs’ fantastic inclusion work already, and from Exec discussion I’m aware of the current VP Inclusion’s work and the challenges they’ve faced. All of this will be especially useful to lead student sport’s Inclusion initiatives and to navigate what projects are possible, and what changes need to be made.
• I want to develop current inclusion projects such as the Active Bystander and Gender-Based Violence trainings, which can be shared better with all SU club members since engagement so far has mainly been from club committees. Celebrating diversity across our social media with centralised projects as well as buy-in from clubs will ensure recognition that Sport at Edinburgh prioritises inclusion as a core value.
• I also want to pursue areas that would benefit from new efforts. The recent Culture Review has shown that there needs to be improvement in safeguarding for our club members, and I believe that improving education for individual members on acceptable behaviours and standards will be key in this, alongside emphasis on clear signposting for resources and reporting pathways. I would also like to boost the disability sport offering in Edinburgh; from volunteering with a local disability badminton club, I especially want to see relationships develop between the SU body and local groups to make sport in our local community more accessible. I have also seen some clubs’ efforts to support their members during the difficult Cost of Living crisis, and I want to establish conversations on current efforts and potential further solutions, at both a club and SU-wide level.

• I’ve enjoyed some amazing times with the badminton club and with the wider Sport community around Edinburgh, and I want to make sure that everyone at Edinburgh gets the opportunity to have those experiences with the sports they love too; there should be no barriers for any student to enjoy the physical, social, and emotional benefits that sport can bring.