If Student Unions are serious about making a positive impact on the local communities in which they are involved, they must have volunteering projects that are based around actual community need.
This sounds like a blindingly obvious statement doesn’t it? Why then do we run projects on the basis of tradition? Why do we struggle to get children for certain projects? If the need was there, the kids would be there. Right??
Its strange but sometimes the most obvious thing is right in front of you and you’re not already doing it. To wit: Rag groups should be actively raising money and donating it to their local student community action groups. That way, the local community would feel the full benefit of students working on their behalf.
Whilst this sounds obvious, how many Rag groups actually do this right now? I know here at Leeds that our Rag group has supported occasional projects in a very ad hoc kind of a way. There’s no ongoing commitment to that form of fundraising – although there are yearly projects that run that support certain overseas charities.
I’m not saying that Rag groups shouldn’t raise money for national or international charities – there should be a balance. Their giving strategy should outline how they will split their fundraising efforts to ensure that all areas receive a goodly slice of the pie and are not forgotten when people do fundraising. Because we mustn’t forget that there is an educational benefit from people fundraising. If they’re doing it properly they will often learn more about the charity they are associating themselves with, take an active interest in them and continue to align themselves with that charity for a time to come.
Placing this emphasis back on our local groups that involve students working hard to make a difference to the people in their local community we can engender more of a spirit of community cohesion. And a brighter future for everyone. Amen.
