| Criteria |
Example of Evidence Required |
Guidance Notes |
Benefits |
| Suitable activity is provided which offers opportunities for progression at all levels.* |
The group must provide a varied activity programme ensuring accessible sessions for new participants. |
Performance Groups; beginners classes as well as intermediate/advanced/competitive Academic/Religious groups – Introductory course (educate members on the basic/jargon). |
This will help your group to grow through enabling newcomers to feel welcome and connect with, whilst maintaining the development of more skilled/knowledgeable members, allowing them to progress to competitive levels, teaching, leadership etc. (whatever is most relevant to your student group). |
| Identified gaps in the group demographic and sought to encourage new members to join and current members to stand for committee (beginners, Women, LGBT+, BME groups, part-time etc). |
Work with BCUSU part time officers to identify groups Complete demographic survey of your current student group (your coordinator can help you with this) and create an action plan based on the information. |
Having identified a lack of LGBT+ students in your sports team, you might work with the LGBT+ committee to discuss any barriers to participation and create an action plan to resolve this issue. |
Engaging people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives will not only allow your group to grow its membership but it will also add depth and richness in diversity to the community you are creating. |
| Actively engaged with BCUSU campaigns/inclusivity events, for example Black History Month, LGBT+ History Month, Mental Health week etc. |
Photos of members/stories from your engagement with any of these events. Perhaps a story of what you learnt from this experience. |
Contact part-time or full-time officers at BCUSU for details of their campaigns, details can be found at: https://www.bcusu.com/about-us/executive-officers/ |
One thing that groups do is create new experiences that broaden student’s perspectives. Engaging in these kind of activities can create a sense of purpose and movement for your group as a whole, whilst also opening the mind of your mimbers to new possibilities and experiences that they couldn’t have had in any other way. |
| Demonstrate how new members have been welcomed/inducted into your student group. |
Produce a report with some ‘soundbites’ from new members about the welcome they received. Description of the student group’s welcome programme. |
You might want to quote a newcomer as having said ‘the atmosphere was so friendly, I connected with loads of people straight away’ and then point out that the reason for this was you’d made your value of ‘welcome’ explicit amongst your leadership – that they should all be looking out for new people and making an intentional effort to make them feel welcome. |
As well as making it easier for new people to join your group, the atmosphere in an ‘open’ group is much fresher and friendlier, much more open to positive change than a closed group. |
| Provide non-alcoholic social opportunities and non-alcoholic options within socials that include alcohol.* |
Submit evidence of an advert/publicity for a social you’ve had which conveys a ‘non-alcoholic option available’ message. |
Posters for welcome week/first term activities socials with this message conveyed. Testimony of an individual who joined your student group and didn’t feel pressured to drink/drink lots because this message was communicated. |
This will open your doors to a growing demographic of people. There will be designated sober people to take care of those who have had too much to drink, and it won’t always fall to the same person. The variety of socials you’ll be able to have will broaden as ideas for having fun that are not alcohol–centric will increase. |
| Made an effort to encourage new members throughout the whole year not just welcome week/welcome fair promotion.* |
Marketing materials and photos submitted. |
Example posters of beginner courses run part way through the year or give it a go sessions every term. |
It will enable recruitment of new members throughout the year and will help those who missed the beginning induction to see what is central to your group. It will also help event experienced members, since going ‘back to basics’ is always helpful. |
| Have worked with another student group on a project to raise awareness and profile.* |
Marketing materials and photos submitted. |
- ACS society to work with football team to kick racism out of football campaign
- Religious/faith societies promoting awareness by arranging a ‘inter-faith dialogue’ event
- Film Club put on a speaker event with feminist society about ‘role of women in film’
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The sense of partnership/team work that comes from engaging with other groups is priceless and enables your members to have a sense of being a part of something bigger. This encompasses the TeamBCU spirit and also allows groups to utilise different group’s skills. |
| Ran at least one event advertised as open to the entire student population. |
Photos &/or brief description of event, how it went and how it was advertised (including flyer if one was used). |
- Scratch Radio could run a workshop on creating jingles
- Crafty Bitches could run a knitting lesson open to all students.
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The skills involved in running and marketing this kind of event, learning how to connect with a broad spectrum of people you don’t usually connect with will develop skills and create experiences that will help you in the future. |
| Attended Liberation training session. |
A short reflection on what you learnt at the training and how it might impact your group. Additional proof of attendance is required. |
Perhaps you hadn’t ever thought of how inaccessible your group was to a disabled student because of access issues or a minority student because of cultural difference, and you choose to make a change to the way your societies meets/where they meet as a result. |
In order to be a successful group, the committee need to be aware of the needs of their members. |