Student Activities

Participating in student activities within the College is a fantastic way to mix with other students, improve your confidence, improve your employability skills and is fun at the same time. You will discover many social, cultural and sporting activities to integrate with your academic studies.

Student Activities at Southern Regional College exists to enhance and support the student experience. Student Activities is supported by the Student Engagement Co-ordinator and five Student Engagement Officers.

Student Activities aims to:

• Organise student activities such as

Freshers’ Week and Charity Events. • Support the development of student clubs and societies. • Develop the Students’ Union. • Coordinate enterprise activities with the interns across the site. • Provide health information, advice, and support to students on a range of issue. • Deliver tutorials in class on topics such as health and wellbeing, employability, time management, internet safety, enterprise, cultural diversity, and volunteering. • Organise interactive workshops and seminars with external organisations and

guest speakers on various topics. • Develop a range of new activities to enhance your student experience. • Facilitate the Student Council through class reps and focus groups. If you would like more information on the Student Activities programme and how you can get involved, then please contact:

Jason Brennan

Student Engagement Co-ordinator

Armagh Campus 7 Lonsdale Road Armagh County Armagh BT61 7JX E: brennanj@src.ac.uk T: 0300 123 1223 M: 077 6075 0692

Student Engagement Officers are based on five campuses; Armagh, Banbridge, Lurgan, Newry and Portadown and their role includes: • Developing entrepreneurial skills. • Teamwork. • Teambuilding. • Delivering workshops/tutorials in class. • Running activities on each campus. • Health promotion. • Class Rep. liaison. • Working with students to develop new activities. • Facilitating in the running of the Students’

Union. • Working alongside the health clinic to ensure students’ health needs are met.

To see which Student Engagement Officer is based on your campus please visit the Student Activities section of the website.

Get Involved

There are lots of ways to get involved, have fun, meet new people and build your skills! Each year a programme of activities and events are developed with the input of the Students’ Union. Activities for students include:

Events

• Freshers’ Fayre • Charity Fundraising

Health Promotion

• Tutorials • Seminars • Health Clinics

Enterprise

• Guest Speakers • Information Stalls • Signposting to Business start up • Cross Campus Seminars

Students’ Union

• Class Reps • Focus Groups

To view Student Health and Wellbeing Policy log onto the College website.

Freshers’ Fayre

The Annual Freshers’ Fayre is all about having fun and meeting your fellow students. You will find out about the calendar of events, community action projects, charity fundraising events and sign up for any of our clubs and societies. The student experience encompasses much more than studying – you will discover many social, cultural and sporting activities to integrate with the academic aspects of student life. Details of when and where are available on the College website.

Class Representatives

Each class will have the opportunity to elect class representatives at the beginning of each academic year. As a Class Representative, you will be invited to attend training for your role within the College and learn how you can effectively represent the views of your peers in the College as well as attending Staff Student Consultative Meetings and wider Student Council meetings.

Student Council

Students elected to Class Representatives and Student Union Officer positions will be invited to attend the Campus Student Council meetings. These meetings will be held three times per year on each campus. The purpose of these meetings is to provide the Student Body with an opportunity to update the management team on the student experience and opportunities for improvement.

Staff/Student Consultative Meetings

At these meetings, you will have an opportunity to discuss issues related directly to your course of study and curriculum and are facilitated by Course Co-ordinators and Personal Tutors. You will also have the opportunity to influence the future of Southern Regional College and aid in the amendments of facilities (where possible) or any other issues, through your input during meetings.

Student Constitution/Union

The Students’ Union exists to further your interests and facilitate the representation of your views. Southern Regional College is

governed by a Board of Governors and the Students’ Union of the College may elect one Governor to the Governing Body. The Students’ Union is structured to ensure maximum participation across the College in line with the revised Students’ Union Constitution. A Student Council, consisting of elected class representatives, is established on each campus. Elected representatives from the Student Council (office bearers) are appointed on each campus.

The Students’ Union consists of five Student Councils. Each Campus Student Council consists of elected Class Representatives from which Office Bearers are elected to eight positions: 1. Campus President 2. Cultural Diversity Officer 3. Disability and Equality Officer 4. Events and Activities Officer 5. HE Officer 6. LGBTQ+ Officer 7. Women’s Officer 8. Sustainability Officer The President of Students’ Union will be elected from the student body and will act as the Student Governor (subject to Departmental approval). A Vice President will be elected from the four post holders on each campus. The annual Students’ Union AGM is used to bring together the full Students’ Union each year to review the operation and effectiveness of the union.

The College provides direct support to the Students’ Union and its Student Councils through the Student Engagement Co-ordinator and Student Interns. Student Council office bearers will work directly with the Student Engagement team to: • Organise events • Inform future programmes and plans • Consult on campus issues • Represent the student body as appropriate

All Students’ Union activities and events will be organised through the Student Engagement Team at Southern Regional College and will be indemnified by the College.

Students’ Union Elections

The election for vacant officer positions, in the 2022/2023 academic year, will take place in October 2022. Details will be circulated through the tutorial system, digital screens, notice boards and social media platforms. If you are enthusiastic and enterprising, please give it a go! The College will give you training and support. Check out the website for further information or contact the Student Engagement Officer on your campus.

CV Enhancement

Being in the Students’ Union or being a Class Rep will boost your CV and is something employers will be keen to see. As well as this, students also get the chance to be put through extra training which can be added to their CV. For example, students this year took part in Mental Health First Aid training and will receive a certificate upon completion.

Sports Teams

Getting involved in a team is a fantastic way to mix with other students, giving you confidence, and improving your employability skills whilst having fun at the same time. Some of the teams include rugby, soccer, football, netball, camogie and volleyball. If you have an idea for a new activity or event, please contact the Student Engagement team - all ideas are welcome!

Fundraising Activities

Students at the College are very passionate about fundraising and have gone to great lengths to raise money for many worthwhile causes. Some of the charities we have supported this year have included PIPS, Northern Ireland Air Ambulance, Action Mental Health, AutismNI and the Southern Area Hospice. We have also worked to raise money for organisations that have worked with us and supported us as a College, such as PIPS.

Health and Wellbeing Activities

The College promotes healthy living by providing health education information on health and wellbeing activities to students.

Health and wellbeing activities include:

• Health Clinics at our Lurgan, Portadown and Newry Campuses • Smoking Cessation/Eating Disorders

Clinics • Inspire Students - a free Counselling

Service (Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) • Health and Wellbeing Tutorials • Health Awareness Seminars • Promotion of National Health Campaigns Please visit the Health & Wellbeing Hub on the College website for more information.

Environmental Awareness

At the College, we encourage you to become actively involved in activities which will enhance our campus environment. In previous years, the College has celebrated its annual Eco-Week, where green issues were highlighted through workshops, stands, visits and competitions. The Student Engagement Team in partnership with Friends of the Earth, offer the prestigious environmental leadership programme, ‘My World My Home’. This provides a high-quality personal development and enrichment opportunity for students.

Exhibitions and Shows

A series of creative shows and exhibitions take place on all campuses to celebrate the success and achievements of our students as they showcase their work from a range of disciplines including art and design, media, music, drama and visual arts.

Visits

Throughout the year a number of visits are planned for our students, ranging from educational day trips or exchange visits. For further information, check out the Student Activities section of the College website or contact the Student Engagement Coordinator or the Student Engagement Officer on your Campus.