So Conference came and went (wasn’t it enjoyable this year) and then the work began. I have been very busy over the last few months getting to know the various train routes around the country and going up North quite regularly, which is strange for a Southern Boy!!

Here are some key things that I have been to since conference:

Islamic Relief Concert:

I attended the concert at the Royal Albert Hall and was amazed to see the vibrant performances and generosity of members of the Islamic community. The performers from around the world were fantastic, and varied, ranging from Hip Hop artists to Sammy Yusuf who is the Muslim parallel of Robbie Williams. Islamic relief is a really great charity helping communities in Pakistan and India as well as across the world, and aiding young orphans to develop, putting money into schooling. Close to £100,000 was raised from the evening that embraced the Islamic culture, and raised awareness of issues faced around the world.

NEC Meeting:

So my first NEC meeting was much better than I had been led to believe they were. I actually found it quite enjoyable, and shock horror, we covered all the motions. I’m sure I will be blogging about the next one and may change my tune, but as far as meetings go this one wasn’t that bad.

FE Essentials:

I attended the FE Essentials training in Wigan and really enjoyed participating in the training and acting out various roles for the scenarios (for some reason I was always given the role of the evil staff member of officer). The students that attended really got a lot out of the training and it was interesting to see the different ways in which these officers were going about facing up to their different challenges. I got a huge amount out of the training learning the different issues that FE Unions across the country are facing.

North East Area Meeting:

It was off to Leeds next to attend a meeting with officers in the North East about restarting the NE Area. As a former area convenor of SEANUS, which restarted on the part time model I was able to share the experiences and challenges that we in the South East had faced across the past year. It is really exciting to see areas restarting and the officers have taken the project on and I look forward to seeing the NE Area engaging on the local level, something we still really need to look at in NUS.

Mature Students National Committee Training (MSNC):

Next it was to Coventry for the MSNC training weekend. I have responsibility for Mature Students this year and am really looking forward to taking things forward. Over the weekend I learnt a lot more about the various issues that mature students are facing and we were able to plan as a group the two major priorities for the campaign this year. Often people seem to forget about our mature students and Unions across the UK have to look at ways of engaging these students and involving them in their Students’ Union. The issues facing mature students are the issues facing all students and we have to ensure that we do not forget this group of our students, especially within FE where they make up close to 2/3rds off all students. If you in your Union have a Mature Students officer then please get them to contact me on bubble@nus.org.uk and if you do not then question whether you should have one.

South West Regional Reception:

Then onto Bristol for the SW Regional Reception and the chance to meet the new officers in the region. I must say I have a huge issue with the timing of Regional Receptions, which meant officers who were at BUSA training could not be involved in these. I think we really missed an opportunity with this to engage a large group of our student officers. But there we go rant over, the day itself was really good and allowed us to work on priorities for the year ahead, and see what our officers want to achieve throughout their time in office.

NEC Induction:

And so we ended up in Southport for NEC induction in the first week of July. I travelled up with Sofie Buckland and Dave Charlesworth so it was good to know what others expectations were before starting the training. I know it’s hard to believe but actually everyone seemed to get on quite well. I personally really enjoy talking to people outside of the meeting scenario and enjoyed the chance to sit back in the evenings and get to know everyone a little better. I missed the ‘Power of Leadership’ game due to making the longest journey ever, from Southport to Canterbury, and then back up again after a Governing Body meeting. Funnily enough Virgin Trains were late, as has been the case, several times already, meaning I missed the final connection, but after some arguing they paid for a taxi for me from Manchester to Southport. And so it was back in Southport for more training and an NEC meeting where we discussed the priority campaign which is looking good.

I have also attended both my zone meetings: Strong and Active Unions, and Welfare as well as being on the Interview Panel for the South East Regional Officer.

Any questions then get in touch with me bubble@nus.org.uk 07740 334184, or add me to MSN richard.budden@hotmail.co.uk

Cheers,

Richard ‘Bubble’ Budden

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