Last week I was lucky enough to be able to attend Students' Unions 2011 with work. For those of you who aren't familiar with the National Union of Students (NUS) and all they have to offer, this was a two day conference for Student Officers and Union staff members. As an advisor (wow that makes me feel grown up!) there were some really useful sessions and it was just great to be able to meet up with people in a similar role. All in all a brilliant couple of days however it wasn't the networking or the sharing of best practice which has prompted me to blog about my experience.
There were a host of impressive names who wowed us with speeches. After listening to Jeremy Gilley talking about his 'Peace One Day' project my job suddenly felt a little, well, insignificant. We also heard from Helena Kennedy, Rod Aldridge and Fiona Reynolds (whose talk on the National Trust induced a craving for drinking Pimms in a well kept garden).
I was also very excited to attend my first NUS Awards. Award ceremonies are always good. Food, wine and lots of cheering- what's not to like? We (Liverpool Guild of Students) walked away with the Technology Innovation award for our officer elections which was amazing and, despite not being involved myself, made me really proud to work for such a great organisation (I think my competitive streak also meant that losing was not an option I had fully considered until just before our name was read out!). You can find out about the rest of the award winners on the NUS website here.
At the beginning (and end) of the conference a short film was played showing the impact Students' Unions have on people's lives. I'm not usually one for cheesey montages but it really hit home and reminded me of why I do the job I do.
When there was talk of tution fees shooting up, it was Students' Unions who put their members on buses to London, enabling their voices to be heard. When a student wants to make more of their time at University it's the Union who can introduce them to an array of societies where they can meet others with similar interests. And when Universities make decisions everyday which will affect thousands of students, it's Unions who will be fighting for the best interests of these students throughout their academic journey.
When asked about work I often respond with something along the lines of "It's great but it's not forever. Magazines are my calling blah blah blah". This is fine in itself, as most of us won't fall straight into our dream job and it's important to have aims, however I shouldn't let these ambitions stop me from focussing on what's currently happening around me. And right now I'm surrounded by a great team of people, have a job that can have a very real impact on the lives of students and have access to free diet coke all day (a perk of working in close proximity to the bar). It may not be the office of a glossy magazine but, at this moment in time, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
