Tuesday 1 June 2010

Well it's nearly the end.... :-(

My exams are over the last guild council is round the corner.

As you have probably realised i havent been great at keeping a blog and as I am scared of forgetting to do this I just want to wish everone well for the future and say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way.

Many thanks again

Jo

Thursday 15 April 2010

Staying safe in Selly Oak

ATTENTION!

There have been a few muggings reported in the Selly Oak area in the last term. Please take the following advice:

Do not walk alone at night
Do not visibly display your valuables
Remain aware at all times
Report any suspicious activity to the police 999 emergency or 08451135000 non-emergency

Thank you and stay safe!

Monday 8 March 2010

Jubilee debt Campaign

Yesterday I attended the Jubilee Debt campaign conference which was held here in Birmingham. It was a truly inspirational day for many reasons. Firstly the conference was aimed at bringing different faith groups together to talk about their responses to global poverty. We heard key notes speakers from the Micha Challenge, Islamic Relief and a leader of the Sikh community. What i found striking from this was the similar goals that everyone brought to the event and the commitment they had to the cause which was solidified and spurred on by the social action side to their respective religions.

Following these impressive speakers we were split into smaller workshops to discuss our personal experiences with debt relief. This to me was the most inspiring section of the day. I heard from speakers of many faiths with varying levels of knowledge and experience and really got a feel of peoples motivations, experiences and aspirations for the future. Some of the people in the workshop had been with the campaign since its start and gave an interesting insight into the journey that the campaign had gone through. I was genuinely moved by what i heard yesterday and hope to carry on working to help the drop the debt campaign in any way i can.

How can you help??

well there is scheduled to be a multi-faith walk in September to raise funds for the campaign and there are many other smaller projects going on in Birmingham run by local community members. But the main thing I took away from the conference is that the first thing to do is to educate yourself, so first things first, check out the website, http://www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk/

If you fancy doing something small how about going more Fairtrade? http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Or maybe if you're more adventurous a summer holiday to a developing country to educate yourself as to how debt is really affecting people on the ground

Personally I know there's a lot I will be taking from the day.

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Yes you could!!!!

Could You Be The Next Community Action Officer?

The Guild of Students’ Community Action Officer works to promote a positive student image in the community by supporting the volunteering efforts of students. The work with Vice President Housing and Community and other Guild Officers to ensure that local residents understand the positive impact that students have in Birmingham and appreciate the issues that students face when living in the community.

The position of Community Action Officer is a unique role that gives the students the opportunity to provide leadership and direction to the wider volunteering efforts of Birmingham students. Becoming Community Action Officer will give you the chance to support our volunteers and counter the negative stereotypes that often attach themselves to students.

If you decide to stand in the election, you must complete and return your nomination forms to the Guild by 2pm on Thursday 25th February. To download a nomination form or to find out more information about the Community Action Officer and the other positions you can stand for, please visit www.guildofstudents.com/elections. If you have any questions please email elections@guild.bham.ac.uk.

Thursday 14 January 2010

I heart Community

Hi everyone!!

So the holidays were lovely, I suppose we all got the break we needed! This fisrt week has been very hectic with dissertation deadlines etc but hopefully come next week i'll be able to devote more time to the guild.

I'm hoping to get involved in the 'know your guild' campaign. It all looks very exciting! Also with elections coming up i will be busy on the elections comittee this term (keep it a clean election guys!) If anyone is interested in running for my position please don't hesistate to contact me about it on j.grainger@bham.ac.uk

Also i'm helping promote the timeswitch campaign - timeswitches give the illusion that people are at home when they are not and therefore detract burgulars. You can get your free timeswitches from the ARC reception.

Monday 23 November 2009

This week has been another hectic one at the guild. The good news is that my knee is a lot better and i'm now able to do a lot more work.

The motion I helped with passed this Guild council which was very exciting - I hope to see a water fountain near you soon!!!

I have now produced a petition for womens only swimming sessions at the Munrow Sports Centre - please join the facebook gorup to sign it if you're interested: http://www.facebook.com/search/?init=quick&q=Daniel%20Raanan#/group.php?gid=181767514957

I've been helping out with the timeswitch campaign to help reduce burglaries in Selly Oak which is being run by the Community Wardens. Also as a newly elected member of the Elections committe i've also monitered my first election which was very exciting.

Dissertation work is really piling up so I hope that come next term i'll have a bit more time to achieve more things.

If theres anything peopel want done please don't hesitate to ask me, j.grainger@guild.bham.ac.uk

Thursday 5 November 2009

My knee continued....





I was told that adding photos to blogs makes them more interesting!!!!!