So it’s over for another year. The next generation of students are gracing the hallowed halls of establishments across the country, WHSmith’s sells enough paper to repopulate the world’s rain forests, and the fond sight of the lava lamps, fluffy rugs and Che Guevara posters (wrong decade) are disappearing into halls dorms across the country. Yes, fresher’s is here again and I have been fortunate enough to be travelling the country talking to new students.

It has been an experience, but a very much welcomed one. As an initial stranger to the internal politics and wrangling of NUS, it has become very easy to get caught up in all of that. But, thankfully these are only distractions and the swift kick up the ass I needed to refocus was administered this week. You can forget how open students are to learn, be inspired and importantly get involved.

Both the ‘Citizen 16’ and ‘Broke and Broken’ campaigns have been really well received. Many students had no knowledge that these issues even existed. Therefore, that is our challenge both as a national union and local students’ unions. It is often said that ‘knowledge is power’ and I whole heartedly agree. Students are not apathetic; its just no one has ever taken the time to sit (or stand) with them and explain the issues.

We must make sure that it is not just the ‘usual suspects’ that we engage when campaigning, the usual unions where we find it easy to get those committed individuals, because that’s the way it’s always been. We must make more of an effort in those so called ‘ordinary unions’. Unions doing extraordinary things in their own universities, but that have never been engaged in converting that into national work.

We all talk about grass roots activism, so all let’s go start watering some plants.

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