Aug has been a month which has flown by! Got a new car, only because some cretins thought they would try and steal my last one(Havana) and after breaking in they realising that there was a immobiliser so they walked away, came back and decided to torch the car. If you were to ever stick me in a room with these guys I would... Do I really need to tell you what I would do. Didn’t think so!!!

Anyways...

Activities in action

8th – 10th I attended activities in action with Stephen Brown, Kat Stark and Richard Budden(Bubble). I have to say that before attending I had to brace myself because although I have been playing football for years and played all through Uni, I still felt the need to prepare for the onslaught of sports officers.

I have to say once I got there I felt that the once disregarded and disengaged Sports, soc, activities officers were totally engaged, understood where they fitted into the process of NUS, that there is actually a dedicated officer in NUS that deals with student Activities(National Sec) and for the sports officers realising that BUSA is just a fixtures bureau and can’t do the representation or half the things that NUS aims for and does.

I ONEder how ONEderful ONE is – As if one water couldn’t get better, Read on!

On 18th Aug Stephen and I met with the Managing Director of ‘One’ Water just to understand a little more about the water as this would do no harm as well as to give him am over view of how we can help him in regards to NUSSL. We went through the ‘pros’ and cons of other so called ethical waters and where ‘Water Aid’ are in the ethical organisations

As if one water couldn’t get better, it does.

When the play pumps are installed in Africa two of the four panels (as highlighted on the picture) educate on HIV/AIDs and the other two are commercial which provide money to maintain the pumps.

Right, so when the maintance guys go out to maintain the pumps they make a special delivery! When we buy the bottles of water here if you stick your bottle or any plastic bottle in the one water recycling bin then it is turned into pens and pencils. These as well as paper from a recycled source are taken to the schools in the near by area by the maintaince guys and this happens every six week! HOW AMAZING IS THAT!

Duncan told us about the new product that they are planning to launch. ‘One Condoms’ due to launch on Valentines day.

We left the meeting more confident that One water is the only water that will more than satisfactionally provide water in Africa for those who need it.

Follow up: - Stephen Brown did a Presentation to NUSSL and it has been agreed that One water will be sold through NUSSL. Watch this space and get your orders in! Manchester University sell the water and managed to build their own playpump in a few months. Imagine what we could do for Africa if we all sold and bought ‘One water’

NSLP – 22nd – 24th Bath Spa

I’d never been to Bath Spa University before so you will understand the expression I had on my face when the taxis driver dropped me in the middle of a field with Cow! My true expression is being well modelled here by Stressed Eric! I can be excused for thinking that he had just dropped me in a field – Because he had! Ok, I soon fount my way and so realised that this was actually the University. This was the place that, me, the person scared of ALL(most) animals was going to spend three days!

I can imagine that if I was into animal husbandry or did not have a fear of animals that I would have loved to gone to Bath Spa for uni.

Anyways back to NSLP we had about 30 delegates that were a mixture of students officers and students it was a small delegation but the enormous energy and enthusiasm from the delegates was still there.

I did NSLP two years ago in my first sabb year and got so much out from it. NSLP is a confidence booster and equips you with the key tools to train others. So valuable!

Public speaking

We had a session on public speaking which I thought would be quite useful if I turned up to. We were asked to come with prepared speeches, so as I had no time before hand I turned up with some speeches that I was anticipating to give at conference but didn’t. I haven’t given a speech since conference so was dreading this a little. But to be fair I think it was more the fact I over worry about most things.

Anyways my first attempt had no emotion it was probably more like what a cow would sound like if it spoke, not much to it. IT WAS JUST BAD.

At the end of the day I think I could say that I had improved and was much more confident in giving a speech. It was a session packed full of tools and techniques about how to write and give a speech.

Pic of one of the trainers training away, Nick ‘Nickers’ Smith who also happens to be a sabb in Reading.

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