Election address

We all know the transformative effect that participating in sport at Edinburgh can have on your University experience; personally, my time here would have been significantly diminished without sport and its associated community. I thus believe it should be our driving goal to ensure that barriers to participation remain as low as possible, so that everyone feels actively welcomed to take part in sport at Edinburgh. That’s why I am running to be SU Vice President (Inclusion).

I was elected Vice President of the Cricket Club, one of the SU’s biggest mixed clubs, on a diversity and inclusion platform, and have worked to make the sport as accessible as possible. Achievements include:

• overseeing the Cricket Club’s move to playing in coloured kit, raising funds from sponsors and other partners with the recognition that white kit is very off-putting to some members, particularly women; 
• raising awareness of the University participation grant, which provides significant financial support to remove the prohibitive costs often involved with sport;
• working closely with Welfare & Inclusion Secretaries to establish a new Catch-Up Coffees initiative, which has promoted sober socials and improved connections across the club.

I also served as Social Secretary in 2022/23, and am therefore well aware of the challenges and difficulties that can arise with planning welcoming but enjoyable socials, and would use this experience to develop uniformity and cohesion across the SU surrounding socials and welfare. As New Students’ Representative in my first year, I gained strong experience of some of the obstacles for new students engaging with sport at Edinburgh, especially financial, and am therefore well-placed to attempt to remove these. 

Furthermore, as a member of the 23/24 Inclusion Committee, I have not only gained insight into how the SU works to advance its inclusion and participation agenda, but also participated in key campaigns, such as the Show Racism the Red Card day, and the Rainbow Laces campaign to support the LGBTQ+ community. I have also worked as a student Communications intern at the School of Social & Political Science for over a year, so have strong knowledge of institutional structures and challenges, and how best to overcome them to ensure that the University provides as much support as possible for the advancement of the SU’s inclusion agenda.

The Sport at Edinburgh community is incredibly valuable, and provides the crux of so many students’ University experience - I am convinced that as many people as possible should feel welcomed and included within it, regardless of their circumstances or background. As your Vice President (Inclusion) I would therefore work tirelessly to make sure these benefits are felt as widely as possible. 

Experience: 

• Cricket Club Vice President 23/24, Social Secretary 22/23, New Students’ Representative 21/22
• Served on 23/24 Inclusion Committee 
• School of SPS Communications Intern 2023-present

Manifesto

• Increase the role and activity of Inclusion Committee to represent as many protected characteristics and backgrounds as possible 

Inclusion Committee has a strong role to play in advancing the SU’s agenda: it can provide close links with individual clubs, and representation for those from traditionally under-represented groups. Making it more active, with more frequent and more productive meetings, would allow stronger connections with clubs and enable the SU executive to carry out more effective work on inclusion. 

• Work with the VP (Intramural Sport) and Intramural Sports Coordinator to share and publicise the benefits of IM sport 

The benefits that come from the IM sport programme are widespread and uniquely valuable, especially for well-being. Promoting the programme to first-year students, particularly through formal sign-up processes and connections with academic Schools, first-year accommodations, and EUSA societies, is a fantastic way of engaging new students with sport at Edinburgh.

• Engage with club Social Secretaries and Wellbeing Officers to share best practice and provide additional support 

Although Wellbeing Officers are often provided with valuable inclusion resources, Social Secretaries have an important role to play given their forward-facing position in clubs. Working closely with them as a group can ensure that clubs develop a uniform approach to wellbeing and inclusion

• Establish 1-2-1 catch-ups with clubs to share ideas and raise awareness of SU wellbeing and inclusion procedures 

The staff members and exec at the SU are always willing to help out and provide resources regarding wellbeing and inclusion, but awareness of this remains too low and under-utilised. Establishing personal connections with key volunteers at clubs across the University would facilitate greater uptake of these resources.

• Continue to work closely with the Media Team to highlight worthwhile campaigns and initiatives, and use the SU’s broad social media reach to publicise these

Having worked in Communications at the University for over a year, I have strong knowledge and experience of the value of social media in publicising campaigns. The SU Media Team does brilliant work on this already, so I would liaise closely with them - and collaborate with the Inclusion Committee - to focus on specific, targeted campaigns to use its broad platform to advance the inclusion agenda.