Welcome to the Bristol SU Guide to the Bristol Skills Framework! WHAT IS THE BRISTOL SKILLS FRAMEWORK? The Bristol Skills Framework is split into three areas: the knowledge and intellectual abilities focus on the academic skills you need to do well in your degree; engagement and influence attributes mainly looks at the skills you need to work well with others; personal effectiveness and wellbeing focusses on the skills and attributes you need to be effective and happy in your life.
Personal Development Planning (PDP) is the process by which you reflect on your current skills, attributes and achievements and plan your future personal, academic and career development.
HOW DOES IT WORK? You are encouraged to develop a portfolio to help you with PDP. Through developing a PDP portfolio you can: identify and evidence your current strengths; reflect on your potential skills gaps; consider how you might gain new skills or further develop your existing skills.
You should use your portfolio to reflect on your strengths and weakness in relation to the Bristol Skills Framework and to provide evidence and examples to support your claims. You can evidence your skills in a variety of ways, e.g. through documents, images, videos, etc.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? PDP can help you…
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understand your strengths and weaknesses
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give you a road-map to your future development and personal growth
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record activities you have undertaken or events you have participated in
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enhance your employability, easily allowing you to provide concrete evidence of your skills
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provide more information to referees and potential employers
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improve your academic progress and self-confidence
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increase your self-awareness
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HOW CAN BRISTOL SU HELP? Here at Bristol SU we have hundreds of opportunities to develop your skills, from getting involved in volunteering projects to playing football for your halls. Whatever you’re interested in, we’ve got a society, sports club or representative role for you. In this guide you’ll find our breakdown of the Bristol Skills Framework, with helpful hints about what kind of opportunities can help you develop each skill. For those of you already taking part in Bristol SU activities, we’ve also put together a list of the kinds of opportunities available, and the skills we think you get from each. This is to show how you’re developing your skillset through your activity, whether you’ve thought about this before or not. We suggest talking through this guide during your PDP sessions with your personal tutor. You can then use it to start thinking about what kind of opportunities you might be interested in getting involved with, or to reflect on what personal development you may already be getting from your activity.
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PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS & WELLBEING
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
SELF-MANAGEMENT Do you set aside time to relax and look after yourself? Are you aware of your stress levels and do you have effective strategies to manage stress? Do you know what you need to do to be happy and fulfilled?
Bristol SU has lots of activities to take part in which can help you de-stress and look after yourself, as well as trying new things. You could volunteer in the community, get involved in a society or sports club, or take part in our low cost, low commitment exercise programmes, B:Active or Fit & Fab. Look out for taster sessions and Give it a Go programmes so you can try everything which is on offer.
How good are you at responding positively to change and uncertainty? Are you too inflexible in your approach to work?
Students’ Unions are constantly changing environments, so if you’d identified change as something that throws you - get involved in our campaigns and see how change can be positive. Maybe our student reps will inspire you to become a course rep or a part time officer to make change of your own.
How easy do you find it to manage academic work with your extra-curricular activities and socialising? Are you careful to set aside sufficient time for everything you need to do or are you always working right up to your deadlines?
Being a rep or part of a committee can definitely give you more to manage, and juggling your responsibilities will develop your skills - but time management can also be making sure you make time for the things which bring you happiness, like contributing to our student media or playing in an intramural team.
ADAPTIVE CAPACITY
TIME MANAGEMENT
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PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
PERSONAL WELLBEING
How much perseverance do you show when you experience challenging situations or tasks? If you are not succeeding, do you give up easily or do you try PERSEVERANCE hard to find a solution to the problem?
& WELLBEING
SELFREFLECTION & SELFAWARENESS
SELFCONFIDENCE
So many of Bristol SU’s opportunities encourage you to make change, and perseverance is an important part of this. You could stand to be a course rep to improve the academic experience of your peers.
Do you know what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you need to do to succeed? Are you careful about setting achievable goals and seeking help as and when you need it?
Taking part in this PDP process is a great start for this skill. If you get involved with any roles at Bristol SU there’s training, guidance and staff here to support you set realistic goals for your project and to reflect on successes and learning points.
How confident are you in your abilities and your ability to succeed if you work hard? How aware are you of your own limitations?
Activities at your students’ union are the perfect opportunity to take risks and increase your confidence. Where else will you be able to try something new in such a relaxed and encouraging environment? You could start by getting involved in B:Active or taking part in Give it a Go. Maybe you’ll discover a talent for a Capella singing and work up the confidence to join a performance group, or you’ll love the run club and decide to lead it yourself in the future. Start will something that interests you, and you can’t go wrong.
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PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS & WELLBEING
RESPONSIBILITY
PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS Are you able to continue working and finish your task without being prompted by others? Do you try to find solutions to problems without asking for help first? Are you conscious of any safety implications your actions might have on yourself and others?
Getting involved in any of our opportunities will give you experience of responsibility whether it’s writing risk assessments for an event, making sure you’ve got a full team for a sports fixture, or committing to responsibly represent your peers as a network chair or equality officer on a committee.
Do you consider the impact of your decisions and actions on yourself and on others? Do you always try to do the right thing?
Those who stand in our full time officer elections often build their campaigns on integrity and ethical awareness. If you want what’s best for everyone and to make sure every student has the best university experience then perhaps you should think about becoming a candidate!
INTEGRITY & ETHICAL AWARENESS
ENTHUSIASM
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You could also join the RAG, Volunteering and Sustainability Network to meet other students who are interested in ethical awareness and social impact.
Do you approach your work with an enthusiastic attitude and do you persevere with difficult tasks? How likely are you to give up if you encounter challenges and setbacks?
The best way to sustain enthusiasm when facing setbacks is to make sure you can see the big picture. If you’re enthusiastic about being on the committee of a group you love, or being the captain of your intramural team, then no challenge will faze you! You can then apply this outlook to your uni work and power through any difficulty!
ENGAGEMENT & INFLUENCE
ENGAGEMENT Have you been involved in developing any projects that have helped to change your institution or student society?
Teamwork and enterprise are needed to co-produce projects. Working with an innovative team you could set up a new volunteering project or campaign. Bristol SU can help guide you and your team towards success. Our student groups often offer the chance to work collaboratively, for example our Performing Arts Societies come together every term to decide on the programme of events in the Winston Theatre!
Have you taken part in any volunteering work within the community either here in Bristol or elsewhere?
You can engage with the community by joining one of our volunteering projects, or seeking out opportunities of your own. You could get involved in fundraising for RAG, or even join your local residents’ association. You could start with the community in your halls and get involved in your JCR committee.
Enterprise skills include being able to identify and act on opportunities and ideas using innovative and creative approaches.
Challenge yourself to identify opportunities to improve something, or think of brand new projects. What would the steps be to get you to your goal? You’ll need people to buy into your vision - standing for election is great practice for this. You could also develop your fundraising skills by getting involved with RAG and helping raise large sums for charity, or by taking responsibility for sponsorship or your student group.
CO-PRODUCTION & COLLABORATION
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
ENTERPRISE
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ENGAGEMENT
TEAMWORK, NEGOTIATION & COOPERATION
& INFLUENCE
Do you have friends who are from a different social or ethnic/cultural background to you? When you work with others, are EQUALITY & you aware of everybody's RESPECT individual strengths (& FOR DIVERSITY weaknesses)? Can you collaborate within a group to use and develop everybody's strengths?
Have you had to take the lead in any project? Have you had to motivate others to get a job done? Do you take a leading role in any student societies or captain any sports?
INFLUENCE & LEADERSHIP
Are there any opportunities to work with others within your degree? Do you take part in any team sports? Have you worked as part of a team in any work WORKING & COLLABORATING experience or job you’ve WITH OTHERS undertaken? If so, how have you worked to ensure success of the group?
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We all have different values and needs - you can learn more and increase your awareness by engaging in Bristol SU campaigns and events like Mind Your Head, Black History Month and Reclaim the Night. Also, our networks such as the LGBT+ Network, BME Network, Trans Network and Women’s Network put on events to educate and inspire other students. If you’ve not found the student group for you, you could set up a new one yourself and lead it to success! Motivating people is a key part of leadership, so look out for opportunities to practice. You could become an Activator, or volunteer motivating and empowering young people. Perhaps you could submit a motion to student council to improve the student experience, or run as a candidate in an election to make change on behalf of your peers.
Your university experience is likely to be full of opportunities to work with a team. You could be part of a society committee, play on a sports team or collaborate with staff and other students as a course rep.
ENGAGEMENT
COMMUNICATION
& INFLUENCE
Do you understand the power of different publishing media and can you use them appropriately? Are you careful about your personal COMMUNICATION data?
MEDIA
Do you know when it’s appropriate to send an email, a tweet or a snapchat? Probably, but becoming a secretary or publicity officer for any of our groups will let you explore which kinds of media are most effective in different situations. You could also get involved in our media products to experience different kinds of communication media.
Can you communicate effectively with experts in your discipline and nonexperts? Can you adapt your message to your COMMUNICATING audience to ensure you are TO SPECIFIC focussing on the key points? AUDIENCES
Taking on any kind of representative role will help you develop this skill, as you’ll learn to communicate effectively with your peers, as well as staff at the university. These groups will use differing levels of formality, and will have different ideas and priorities. Being aware of this will help you grow your skills in this area.
Can you write accurate and articulate text that can communicate ideas to others? What opportunities do you have within your degree programme for writing essays and reports? WRITTEN & ORAL Have you presented any of COMMUNICATION your work orally?
Essay-based courses will give you plenty of practice at written communication, as will taking up any of Bristol SU’s leadership roles. But if you don’t often get the chance to speak publicly, you could make those opportunities yourself by leading an activity or a campaign or by joining a committee. You could join a student media product like Burst Radio, UB:TV or Epigram to get extra experience in all your communication skills.
SKILLS
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KNOWLEDGE & INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES
ACADEMIC SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
QUANTITATIVE SKILLS
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KNOWLEDGE Do you have a good knowledge and understanding of your discipline? Do you understand the methods that are used to create knowledge within your discipline. Do you know how this new knowledge is communicated to others (and disseminated)?
If you’re looking for support with your academic studies, many of our academic societies hold group revision sessions or run buddying schemes, so that others on your course can share knowledge and resources.
Do you understand why it is important to avoid plagiarism and the importance of honesty in academic research? Do you understand how to avoid plagiarism and the practical skills you need to avoid unintentional plagiarism? Do you recognise that buying essays from the internet or copying a friend’s work is wrong?
You should learn about academic integrity through your course, but if you get stuck or make a mistake the Bristol SU’s advice service Just Ask is here for you. They can advise you on extenuating circumstances, appeals, plagiarism hearings and loads more.
Are you numerate? Can you understand basic statistics and the representation of data in charts and graphs? Some disciplines have a strong emphasis on understanding numerical data, while others have a greater focus on qualitative skills. However, all graduates should have a basic level of numeracy.
Whatever role you decide to take up at Bristol SU, you’ll always be dealing with data. Maybe it’s how many people are reading your volunteering group newsletter, or the average number of your rugby team’s tries being converted. If you find something you’re interested in, chances are you’ll find that data interesting too, because it gives you greater insight into your activity. Some roles will also involve budgeting, and there’s training and staff support to help you with this.
KNOWLEDGE & INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES
ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS & EVALUATION
PROBLEM SOLVING & EVALUATION
ACTIVE & SELFAWARE LEARNING
INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES Can you bring together information from a wide range of reliable sources to develop your argument? Can you evaluate and judge different ideas and views within your discipline? Are you accessing peerreviewed articles and texts from your discipline or relying on Wikipedia?
This skill is best demonstrated when you use sources in an essay or a seminar. You should be able to balance different arguments against each other, decide what you think, and then justify your position. You could also develop this skill by joining one of our critical thinking or debating societies.
Can you put what you’ve learnt into practice when solving problems? Are you able to apply your knowledge to new situations? Can you think logically or laterally?
Any committee or representative role will give you practice in solving problems, but you’ll learn this skill by doing. Don’t be passive, if you come across a problem, approach it head-on! Maybe you need to get 30 people to the Brecon Beacons for a walking trip, or perhaps you want to change the structure of revision sessions on your course. What’s the first step in solving these problems?
Are you an independent learner, with an understanding that university education is not about just remembering knowledge and repeating what your lecturers or other researchers think? Do you reflect on the feedback you receive on your work and think about how you might improve future work? Do you understand what study techniques work for you? Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses and do you plan for your future?
Study Skills workshops can help you take this approach to your academic studies, but are you applying this skill to your extracurricular activity too? How often do you take yourself out of your comfort zone and try something new? You could try running an event for your student group, or setting up a new volunteer project! Make sure you reflect on how it went—did people enjoy it? What did you learn? What would you do differently next time? Put your learning into practice by trying again and building on your previous experience.
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KNOWLEDGE & INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES
CREATIVITY Innovation can take a range of forms. How creative are you in your academic work? Can you think of new ideas or think laterally?
You develop your innovation skills by starting with a willingness to change. Once you are willing to make changes, you’ll feel more open to making improvements to thing which you think could be better. You can then increase your confidence in your own ideas. Find likeminded people who have the same goals as you and you’re ready to innovate! Educate yourself and excite yourself about change by taking part in the Bristol SU campaigns and voting in elections. If you don’t like something, tell Bristol SU what you’d like to change, or run in an election to change it yourself. Get involved in Bristol SU’s networks to find people who care about the same things as you.
How much reading do you do outside the formal programme curriculum of your discipline? Do you attend events/participate in activities outside the University? Have you researched a particular area in detail?
As you progress at university you’ll start to combine your own ideas with what you’re learning, and this skill is about using your initiative to always be questioning what you learn. This could be to an article which you think misses something important, or perhaps you’ve seen ways in which you could improve the academic experience and want to run to be a course rep?
INNOVATION
INQUISITIVENESS & INITIATIVE
Many academic societies put on events, activities and conferences to expand your knowledge and build practical skills outside your course. Take a look at what’s on offer for your discipline and get involved. 12
KNOWLEDGE & INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES
FUTURE THINKING
CREATIVITY Are you aware of the global significance of your discipline? What aspects of sustainability are relevant to you or your study?
Consider the impact that you, your course and your activities could have on the world. Will you join the Sustainability, Fundraising and Volunteering network? How do you want to contribute to a happy healthy life for all? You could run a campaign to empower women or an event to educate your peers about plastic usage. You could run to be a full time officer and use your position to encourage the university to make a change you’re passionate about. Think big, and think future.
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BRISTOL SU: OUR OPPORTUNITIES Get Involved Find a Volunteer Opportunity Bristol SU holds a directory of volunteering opportunities across the city. From tutoring schoolkids, helping out in a museum and working in a charity shop, there is something for everyone. bristolsu.org.uk/volunteering-opportunities Join a Volunteering Project Our students run a number of different exciting volunteering projects. Want to turn derelict land into a community garden, take young people away on a weekend trip or get involved with a older peoples tea parties? We have the project for you. bristolsu.org.uk/skills-volunteering/find-an-opportunity/student-led-volunteeringprojects Raise Money for Charity Bristol RAG raises money for different charities each year, and events range from karaoke and pub quizzes to the more adventurous Lost and Jailbreak. facebook.com/bristolrag Join a Society or Sports Club Bristol SU has over 260 societies and over 60 sports clubs. Our Student Media products (Epigram, UBTV, Burst Radio and Inter:Mission) are also societies that all students can join and get involved with. If you want to take on a committee role societies and clubs hold elections at the end of each year, either through an AGM or online. bristolsu.org.uk/sports-societies Start your own Society Can’t find what you’re looking for? You can start your own society - all you need is an idea and 30 people who want to join your society. bristolsu.org.uk/societies-sport/tools-to-run-your-group/start-a-new-group Get Involved in Participation Sport Want to get involved in sport or physical activity in a beginner friendly environment? Come along to a B:Active or Fit and Fabulous session, or join an intramural sports team. bristolsu.org.uk/b-active
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Get Campaigning Join a Network Bristol SU has 13 networks, which are representative bodies that can lead campaigns, hold forums and organise social events. From the BME Network to the Education Network, to the LGBT+ Network and the Sport Network, there is something for everyone. bristolsu.org.uk/student-voice/networks Campaigns Bristol SU helps students to campaign on issues that matter to them - both local and national. Past examples of campaigns include Free Periods, Black Lives Matter and Ready to Rent. bristolsu.org.uk/student-voice/campaigns Submit a Motion to Student Council or AMM Want to change something about the University or SU? You can submit a motion to Student Council or the Annual Members Meeting. Past motions have been on everything from combating antisemitism, getting half price vegetarian food on campus and supporting free education. bristolsu.org.uk/student-voice/get-involved/democratic-events Run for Election Elections happen in October and March each year. There are a range of roles, including Course Reps, Faculty Reps, Chairs of Networks, JCR committees, NUS Conference Delegates, Full time Officers and SU trustees. bristolsu.org.uk/elections
Get Support Contact Just Ask Just Ask help with academic issues such as appeals, extenuating circumstances or changing course, and can also signpost to other support in the city. bristolsu.org.uk/advice-and-support Training opportunities Bristol SU’s Development Team offer a range of training opportunities for committee members and interested students. Sessions include mental health awareness and liberate your language, as well as specific training for society and sports club committee members. bristolsu-development@bristol.ac.uk
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This next part of the guide is aimed at those who are already engaged with Bristol SU activities. Do you see your role, group or project listed here? We’ve matched up the skills we think you develop from each activity, so take some time to think about how exactly you might have gained skills and experience. Did negotiating sponsorship contracts help you with your written communication? Did running an awareness-raising campaign give you experience of collaborating and working with others?
Talk this through with your personal tutor and remember, we’ve made an educated guess at what skills you may have gained, but there may be more!
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DISCOVER
PDP
Fit and Fab/ B:Active Member
• • • •
Work-life balance Perseverance Self-confidence Enthusiasm
Activator
Intramural Team Member
• • • •
Work-life balance Perseverance Self-confidence Enthusiasm
Intramural Team Captain
Volunteer
• • • • •
Work-life balance Perseverance Self-confidence Enthusiasm Community engagement Working and collaborating with others Problem solving and application Future thinking Responsibility
• • • •
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DEVELOP
Project Coordinator Charity/Cause Ambassador Get Green Core Team
PDP • Time management • Responsibility • Influence and
INSPIRE Activity Leader
Adaptive capacity Time management Responsibility Influence and leadership • Working and collaborating with others • Communication media
• Adaptive capacity • Time management • Self-reflection and selfawareness
• Integrity and ethical
awareness • Influence and leadership • Communication media • Communicating to specific audiences
• Adaptive capacity • Integrity and ethical awareness
• Equality and respect
leadership • Communication media • Communicating to specific audiences • Problem solving and application
• • • •
PDP
for diversity
• Influence and
leadership • Working and collaborating with others • Innovation • Inquisitiveness and initiative
• Co-production and Sports Network collaboration Committee Member
• Enterprise • Equality and respect for diversity
• Written and oral
communication skills
• Innovation • Inquisitiveness and initiative
RAG, Volunteering and Sustainability Network Chair
• Co-production and collaboration
• Enterprise • Equality and respect for diversity
• Written and oral
communication skills
• Innovation • Inquisitiveness and initiative
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DISCOVER
PDP
Fundraiser
• • • • •
Fundraising Lead
Course Rep
• • • • • • •
Faculty Rep
Society or Sports Club Member
• • • • •
Work-life balance Perseverance Self-confidence Enthusiasm Community engagement • Working and collaborating with others
Work-life balance Time management Perseverance Self-confidence Enthusiasm Academic integrity Analysis, synthesis and evaluation • Problem solving and application
•
•
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DEVELOP
• •
Work-life balance Perseverance Self-confidence Enthusiasm Community engagement Working and collaborating with others Problem solving and application Future thinking Responsibility
Student Group Committee Member
PDP
INSPIRE
• Adaptive capacity • Time management • Self-reflection and self-
RAG Committee
PDP • Co-production and collaboration
• Enterprise • Equality and respect
awareness
for diversity
• Influence and
• Written and oral
leadership
communication skills • Innovation • Inquisitiveness and initiative
• Adaptive capacity • Responsibility • Self-reflection and self-
Full-Time Officer
• Integrity and ethical awareness
• Community
awareness
• Influence and
• • • • •
• Working and
•
• Co-production and collaboration
• Equality and respect for diversity leadership
collaborating with others • Communicating to specific audiences • Written and oral communication skills • Inquisitiveness and initiative
• Adaptive capacity • Time management • Self-reflection and selfawareness
• Integrity and ethical • • • •
awareness Co-production and collaboration Influence and leadership Communication media Communicating to specific audiences
• • •
Sports/Society Network Chair
engagement Communication media Quantitative skills Innovation Future thinking Co-production and collaboration Influence and leadership Communicating to specific audiences Written and oral communication skills Inquisitiveness and initiative
• Co-production and collaboration
• Enterprise • Equality and respect for diversity
• Written and oral
communication skills
• Innovation • Inquisitiveness and initiative
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DISCOVER
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PDP
DEVELOP
Media products consumer
• Active and self-aware
Media Product Contributor
Voter
• Analysis, synthesis and
Candidate
learning • Analysis, synthesis and evaluation
evaluation • Integrity and ethical awareness • Enthusiasm
PDP • Work-life balance • Time management • Perseverance • Self-confidence • Responsibility • Enthusiasm • Working and
collaborating with others • Communication media • Communicating to specific audiences • Written and oral communication skills • Self-reflection and selfawareness
INSPIRE Media Products Production Team
PDP • Adaptive capacity • Integrity and ethical awareness
• Co-production and collaboration
• Enterprise • Equality and respect for diversity
• Influence and leadership
• Problem solving and application
• Innovation • Inquisitiveness and initiative
• Work-life balance • Adaptive capacity • Time management • Perseverance • Self-reflection and selfawareness
• Self-confidence • Enterprise • Equality and respect for diversity
• Influence and leadership
• Communication media • Communicating to specific audiences
• Written and oral
communication skills
• Problem solving and application
• Innovation • Inquisitiveness and initiative
• Future thinking 23
DISCOVER Attend Bristol SU Flagship Events
PDP
DEVELOP
• Work-life balance • Enthusiasm • Self-confidence
Support a Campaign • Work-life balance
• Perseverance • Self-confidence • Integrity and ethical awareness
• Enthusiasm • Co-production and collaboration
• Equality and respect for diversity
• Working and • • • •
Support Group User
collaborating with others Communication media Analysis, synthesis and evaluation Inquisitiveness and initiative Future thinking
• Perseverance • Self-reflection and selfawareness • Self-confidence • Problem solving and application
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Network Chair Nightline Facilitator LGBT+ Support Group Facilitator
PDP
INSPIRE
Campaign Leader
PDP
• Time management • Responsibility • Community engagement
• Enterprise • Influence and leadership
• Communicating to
specific audiences
• Written and oral communication skills
• Problem solving and application • Innovation
• Work-life balance • Adaptive capacity • Time management • Responsibility • Integrity and ethical awareness
Project Coordinator • Co-production and collaboration Committee Member • Influence and leadership
• Communication media • Communicating to specific audiences
• Enthusiasm • Equality and respect for
• Written and oral
• Community
• Inquisitiveness and
diversity
engagement • Communication media • Quantitative skills • Innovation • Future thinking
communication skills initiative
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