Safe spaces, student opportunities, joining SUs

This week on the Membership Services Show, Alan and Livia dive deep into the complexities of change management and student engagement across the students' union sector.

Ellis Page from Sheffield SU opens up about their controversial decision to restructure liberation committees – including dissolving the LGBT committee – and the intense backlash that followed. From being compared to Margaret Thatcher to navigating angry freshers months later, Ellis shares hard-won lessons about co-creation, communication, and the delicate balance between necessary change and community ownership.

Rosie Hunnam from Organized Fun reflects on a decade of student opportunities development, exploring how the sector has evolved from siloed activities to strategic, cross-cutting approaches. She discusses the elevation of ops work, the challenge of supporting students who are increasingly cash and time-poor, and why the traditional volunteering model in students' unions might need reimagining.

Finally, Beth Rogers from Sheffield SU examines what it means to be an "outsider" coming into the students' union movement after years in higher education. She explores the different risk appetites, decision-making speeds, and the shift from specialist to generalist leadership – plus why the insider/outsider distinction might be less important than willingness to embrace change.

With Ellis Page (Sheffield SU), Rosie Hunnam (Organized Fun), Beth Rogers (Sheffield SU), and hosted by Livia Scott (Partnerships Coordinator, Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Director, Counterculture).

https://www.organised.fun/

https://wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/reflections-on-my-first-year-leading-a-students-union-as-an-outsider/

https://wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/reflections-on-leading-a-students-union-as-an-insider/

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