Mental Health Week LOUD POET

Posted 115 Months Ago

Former LOUDPOET performer Agnes delivers a piece on Mental Health

Thursday Week 4 (8^th October 2015) at 6.30pm at Zeroes, Student Union

Join the Mental Health Activities Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/314357485354751/

We launched a whole week of activities for Mental Health week, and as promised- here is your special guest!

Agnes Török is a spoken word performer, poetry workshop leader, poetry event organiser and happiness researcher. She is the winner of multiple Poetry Slams in three different countries and two different languages. Török has been featured as a TED speaker, on The Today Programme and BBC Radio Scotland. Her two acclaimed one-woman spoken word shows ‘Sorry I Don’t Speak Culture’ and ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It Take This Survey’ have been awarded the Best International Spoken Word Show Award (2014) and the Best Wellbeing Show Award (2015) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (PBH).

Agnes’ show is one of many events your Union has to promote positive mental health! See the full activities outline: http://www.hwunion.com/news/article/mental-health-week

Find out more about her work here: http://agnestorok.org/

Any questions just email: union.vpwellbeing@hw.ac.uk  

Mental Health Week

Posted 115 Months Ago

Mental Health Week @ your Student Union: Oct 5^th- 9^th (Week 4)

Here at your Student Union we know your Mental Health is important! Students being stressed and down is natural with our workload, but here are some great activities to relax you and help you manage what’s on your mind. Ranging from a surprise performance, arts & crafts and fluffy puppies to play with, to a confidential Peer session for you to talk about what’s on your mind, we have something here for everyone! It is all free and open for anyone to attend. Any questions email: union.vpwellbeing@hw.ac.uk

Monday 5^th

Disabled Students Social meeting
Libertys, Student Union, 5pm-7pm

Movie Night with free snacks (Silver Linings Playbook)
Libertys, Student Union, 7pm-9pm

Tuesday 6^th

Therapets
Zeros, Student Union, 1-4pm.
Sign up online:  www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094badab29a3fb6-therapets1

Wednesday 7^th

Peer Support Session lead by your Advice Hub Counsellors
Advice Hub*, 2-3pm. Free tea & snacks

Thursday 8^th

**LOUDPOETS** Special guest delivers a performance on Mental Health
Zeros, Student Union, 6.30pm. More details to come!

Friday 9^th

CraftPunk
Zeros, Student Union, 12-5pm. A session of pottery, origami, clay making and so much more!

*Remember your Advice Hub (based next to the Student Shop in the main building) is open for you to contact regarding ANY issue. They also have free condoms, C Card, lube and chlamydia testing kits to give away! 

Youth Advisory Panel

Posted 116 Months Ago

Join Police Scotland’s Youth Advisory Panel

Young Scot and Police Scotland are looking for new members to join the existing Police Scotland Youth Advisory Panel (PSYAP). Police Scotland want young people’s opinions and contributions to help them shape their policies.

This is an opportunity to have fun, improve your skills and make a valuable contribution whilst working collaboratively with other young people and professionals.

What will I get to do?

You will work directly with Young Scot and Police Scotland on a variety of activities, including:

• Taking part in residential trips away and workshops with the team
• Working with the team to promote young people’s involvement in activities which contribute to Police Scotland’s policies which affect young people.
• Update and provide challenges to Police Scotland and Scottish Government on progress to these goals

What will I get out of it?

• Make your CV stand out
• Opportunity to gain accreditation through the Participatory Democracy Certificate
• Develop transferable skills through training and hands-on experience that is tailored to your individual needs
• The chance to run workshops, focus groups or consultations with young people
• Develop your understanding and knowledge through creative research
• Opportunity to question, learn from and work with industry experts
• Opportunity to meet new people from across Scotland
• Travel & accommodation costs covered

What do I need?

No previous knowledge or experience is required, just an eagerness to learn and the following:

• Enthusiasm for shaping the work of Police Scotland
• Willing to work in a team and listen to other people’s views
• Flexibility and willingness to travel across Scotland (travel costs paid for)
• Commitment to the project for minimum 12 months. This will include 4-5 residential trips and your contribution to the project online (from home). If you are worried about the commitment please don’t let this stop you from applying - we are happy to discuss it with you and can be flexible!

So, how can I apply?

To apply, please fill out an application.

Need more info?

For more information on this post and the requirements, or if you're having trouble downloading the application form, please call Nicola Vallance-Ross on 0131 313 2488 or by email nicolav@young.scot

VP Wellbeing Update Anti PREVENT Policy

Posted 117 Months Ago

The Union has passed a policy to hold a stance against the PREVENT policy that the university shall be following.  The PREVENT policy is heavily based on discrimination and is damaging the ability of students and lecturers to carry out research freely. It goes against the right to freedom of speech/ expression, confidentiality from support staff, legalizes racial profiling and incites islamophobia. We are one of many Unions to have condemned PREVENT (Durham Students Union, London School of Economics (LSE) Student Union,  Swansea University Student Union, University of East London Student Union, University of Manchester Students’ Union and many more).

The executive committee voted:

This Union opposes the PREVENT policy and stands to hold its own Public Speakers Policy. It's important that our Union works to recognise the diverse student populations and maintain progress on inclusivity and representation.

The Anti- PREVENT Policy outline can be found here. The Public Speakers Policy can be found here.

For details of the background to these, please read on:

What does the Counter Terrorism & Security Bill do?

The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act proposes a number of new measures, such as placing a statutory requirement on public bodies – including universities – to ’PREVENT people being drawn into terrorism’, permitting for the seizure of travel documents of those ’suspected of intending [to travel] in connection with terrorism-related activity’, and allowing the temporary exclusion of individuals from returning to Britain, including British nationals.

PREVENT and the Government’s ‘anti-extremism’ agenda have been used to create expansive surveillance architecture to spy on the public and to police oppositions. The Act builds upon decades of previous ‘anti-extremism’ legislation that has served to legitimise mass surveillance and erode the civil liberties of people in the UK. Any expectation by the state for academic staff to be involved in monitoring their students is deeply worrying and could have a chilling effect on relations between staff and students. We fundamentally believe that universities and colleges are places for education, not surveillance.

The Government’s anti-terrorism/security policy is fundamentally flawed in its approach, and its operant concepts of ‘extremism’ and ‘radicalism’ are ill-defined and open to abuse for political ends. Criteria of being seen as “radical” is heavily based on racial profiling and discrimination against faith groups and those with mental health issues. Local authorities would be mandated to set up De-radicalisation panels. The panels mandate would be to draw up a “de-radicalisation” plan for the person identified as being at risk. The Bill is being acted on heavily in English Universities where having a PREVENT Officer is common.

Wait- what is PREVENT?

According to the current PREVENT Strategy, potential indicators of “radicalism” or “extremism” include:

1. “A need for identity, meaning and belonging.”
2. “A desire for political or moral change.”
3. “Relevant mental health issues.”

Muslims and Black communities are systematically targeted by this state surveillance and authorities to a greater degree – they are the object of a political climate of intense paranoia and scrutiny, with fewer safeguards against such a process.

Healthcare and mental health practitioners have been provided the above guidance as well.  This criteria for “spotting radicalization” is ill fitting, vague and heavily based in discrimination. Our students should not be subjected to this in general, but those with mental health difficulties face further stigma based on this policy.

Why should we take a stand against PREVENT?

PREVENT is heavily based on discrimination of faith groups and includes criteria for prejudice based on a student’s mental health and ethnic background.  PREVENT perpetuates islamophobia and mental health stigma. Staff spying on students can’t be good for fostering a positive educational environment. And such “surveillance and monitoring” within this bill undermines our basic civil liberties. With PREVENT the University would be monitoring and clamping down on certain student led activities- thus censoring us and our right to freedom of expression. It would start aimed at Faith groups, so what other groups will they target next?

So, that’s scary, what are we going to do about it?

The Bill has been passed; BUT as a separate organization to the University, and a Charity, the Union does not have to have the PREVENT scheme practised. Instead we can choose to oppose it, and better yet, have systems in place to protect and represent our students.

What do we want?

This Union acknowledges and celebrates the huge diversity we have here on campus. Part of that includes ensuring that we remain a safe space for all students- of different identities, sexual orientations, ethnicities, age, gender, mental health, disabilities, socio-economic backgrounds and religious beliefs.

The PREVENT policy that is becoming legislation in all universities (due to the government passing the Counter-Terrorism Bill) is based on racial profiling, islamophobia and discrimination of those with mental health difficulties. The Union opposes such legislation, and as a separate organization from the University, will have its own code of conduct, an example being the Public Speakers Policy.

Why do we need a Union Public Speakers Policy?

Our societies are affiliated through us. Therefore we have a mandate to protect and promote their interests and make sure they are able to express themselves freely. The University would want students applying through them to ask permission in having an external figure speaking/ performing at a society event. However they will be expecting a 4 week notice period which is unsuitable for students, but also will have extensive screenings as to whether the external speaker should be allowed.

This would mean the university monitoring society activity and approving externals at events- something that shall be based on the discriminatory criteria from the PREVENT policy. This would be detrimental in censoring free speech for our students whilst also discriminating against faith groups in particular on campus.

Having a Union Public Speakers Policy inserted in to Society Affiliation Forms means our student groups- who are affiliated through us- are also protected by us. They can come to the Union to get approval of external speakers.  Societies would inform the Activities Coordinator of their external speaker a minimum of two weeks before their event. A thorough check will be done by the Activities Coordinator and seconded by an elected student representative (Sabbatical) to make sure the external speaker did not go against our Safe Space values (i.e. no homophobia, transphobia, racism, facism, sexism, ableism etc is tolerated). There would be steps in place to discuss any controversial issues about a speaker, but this would be democratic and student led.

The Union having its own Public Speakers Policy would mean not allowing the University to have control over society events and student led activities. It would allow us to maintain our right to freedom of expression and speech. It also would be the first step in tackling the PREVENT policy which is damaging to many diverse student groups on campus.