You are, as a student and an activist a very special individual you are placed by circumstance in a position of moral and social responsibility to our global community. In my time through the student movement I have increasingly come to the conclusion and publicly argued that the UK Student Movement is one of the most powerful groups in the world, with the ability to disproportionately influence and therefore act as a force for positive change on global issues. The way that I have come to that conclusion is not through the observation of UK students campaigning as though it is legendary around the world, but through simple deduction.

The UK is the fourth most powerful economy in the world, where it regular punches way above its weight with the majority of global decision-making. As Students in the UK you are one if not the most powerful groups in our society. Students have time for reflection and subsequent action; you have greater access to information and most importantly you are submersed in an environment with like-minded people. All factors together makes the conditions for students to be global agents for change.

As I retire from my Role as the National Secretary of the National Union of students responsible as the voice of 5.3 million students often disappointed I did not do more to agitate our membership into united action. I have increasingly realised after campaigning for the last five years as a student activist that we have this great responsibility to use this influence for positive change. NUS was originally set up as a reaction against the horrors of the First World War. It was not about representing students academically it was about building a strong organised movement to influence international issues. It has developed since 1922 into many important new areas; however, our role and responsibility as catalysts for change in the international community is still as strong as it was in 1922.

As many of you start your year as a leader at university or college you will be planning your time admin, saving money and planning your social life, but please make sure you make time to reflect and to act. I famously in NUS used to always put time away every Friday afternoon for changing the world, as I would call it. I would sit down for lunch on Fridays and think of what I could do in my position to change the world and then in the afternoon go and do it. Writing a letter, having a meeting or designing an action. On one such Friday afternoon I put a website action on the NUS website where you could email Jack Straw about Dafur to get him to sign the UN resolution calling for action. Well he did not sign the resolution but the Icelandic foreign minister did after being lobbied by the Icelandic student movement who found the action on our website and then put it on their website. So who knows what you can achieve with a little intention!

So as I leave the student movement to you the next generation of student activists (or Catalysts) please promise me on thing. Take part, get involved and make a difference, not just in day to day activities but take a moment for the bigger picture as you some times don’t realise what influence you have until you try.

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