Working for Students (The Membership Services Show)

<p>This week on Working for Students there’s a bumper collaborations special. What does it really take for students' unions to genuinely work together – and what hard questions should boards be asking themselves as costs rise, income falls and institutional instability spreads?</p><p>Alan caught up with Steve Coole and Ben Ward on the Greater Manchester Students Partnership, the cultural conditions that have made collaboration stick across the city, and where joint finance functions, shared services and collective lobbying might go next.</p><p>Plus Liv spoke to Ben Vulliamy about his recent Wonkhe blog reflecting on the hard questions facing SU boards right now, from business continuity and strategy stress testing through to reserves, risk appetite and low risk shared service vehicles.</p><p>With Steve Coole off of Coole Insight, Ben Ward from University of Manchester SU, Ben Vulliamy from the Association of Heads of University Administration and presented by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Counterculture).</p>

<p>This week on Working for Students we’re thinking about belonging, inclusion and the student experience – from the work of Living Black at University to what students’ unions can do to build communities that work for all students.</p><p>We hear about Essex SU’s work on representation, education and student voice, and look across the Atlantic to Montclair State University to explore how commuter students can be better supported to connect with campus life.</p><p>With Osaro Otobo, Consultant at Halpin Partnership and Project Manager for Living Black at University; Alex Sablich, President at Essex SU; Chloe Jeffery, VP Education at Essex SU; and Emily Inserra, Assistant Director of Commuter Life at Montclair State University. Hosted by Livia Scott from Wonkhe and Alan Roberts from CounterCulture.</p><p>With Osaro Otobo, Consultant at Halpin Partnership and Project Manager for Living Black at University, Alex Sablich, President, Essex SU, Chloe Jeffery, VP Education, Essex SU, Emily Inserra, Assistant Director of Commuter Life, Montclair State University, and hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (CounterCulture).</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=qO3qvR3IzkWGPlIypTW3yyvmPM3wtu9BjYz4YD2B_xpUMVlRNDM0RUgzNEdMTkFLV1Q2WlNZMzRaVy4u&amp;origin=QRCode&amp;route=shorturl">The link for people to register interest in the Living Black at University Book</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.cubo.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/living-black-at-university/">And here is a link for people to get involved with the Living Black at University Theory of Change</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.essexstudent.com/paytheplacement/">Pay the Placement</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/you-wouldnt-work-for-free-why-should-healthcare-students/">blog</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="OWAAutoLink" href="https://www.montclair.edu/commuter-students/get-involved/mentorship-program/">Commuter Assistance Mentorship Program – Commuter Life - Montclair State University</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQye2ob1Z3G1e6fxqSaKpFX8aluwrWFP7yTBpp7qv93pk3XQ/viewform?usp=send_form">Membership Services Conference session proposal form</a></p><p>You can subscribe to the show on<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://shows.acast.com/the-membership-services-show"> Acast</a>,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/8ec40ed1-d071-4643-97e0-fda4fdab4f21/the-membership-services-show"> Amazon Music</a>,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-membership-services-show/id1734868494"> Apple Podcasts</a>,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xyWZ1TA7BIN7ziEqzjWaE?si=5d1a46642dec40e0"> Spotify</a> or via your favourite app with the<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/the-membership-services-show"> RSS feed</a>, and if you’re interested in being on, do get in touch.</p>

<p>This week on Working for Students Middlesex SU’s, Leanne Lewis explains how a gamified induction treasure hunt is helping students navigate campus, activate their accounts, and build early relationships. </p><p>We then turn to Anglia Ruskin SU, where Demi Smith challenges the sector’s reliance on election turnout as a measure of success, and Arts SU, where Margarita Marie Ronquillo explores stigma in basic needs support.</p><p>With Leanne Lewis (Student Voice Manager, Middlesex Students’ Union), Demi Smith (Democracy Coordinator, Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union), and Margarita Marie Ronquillo (Arts Students’ Union), and hosted by Livia Scott and Alan Roberts.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQye2ob1Z3G1e6fxqSaKpFX8aluwrWFP7yTBpp7qv93pk3XQ/viewform?usp=send_form">Membership Services Conference session proposal form</a></p>

<p>This week on Working for Students, Livia speaks with Ben Sanders from Wrexham Students’ Union about efforts to reclaim the power behind student democracy. Alan catches up with Sarah Waterhouse at Manchester Met Students’ Union to unpack their innovative “Union Unfiltered” platform. And Livia talks to Mack from Wonkhe about new research into how students are actually using AI in their learning. </p><p>With Ben Sanders (Wrexham Students’ Union), Sarah Waterhouse (Manchester Met Students’ Union), and Mack Marshall (Wonkhe), and hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Counterculture).</p><p>You can subscribe to the show on<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://shows.acast.com/the-membership-services-show"> Acast</a>,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/8ec40ed1-d071-4643-97e0-fda4fdab4f21/the-membership-services-show"> Amazon Music</a>,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-membership-services-show/id1734868494"> Apple Podcasts</a>,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xyWZ1TA7BIN7ziEqzjWaE?si=5d1a46642dec40e0"> Spotify</a> or via your favourite app with the<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/the-membership-services-show"> RSS feed</a>, and if you’re interested in being on, do get in touch.</p>

<p>This week on Working for Students, we hear from Rosie of Organised Fun on the launch of the Safe Adventures report, exploring how students’ unions can take a more structured, principles-led approach to student group safety – from competence and risk to communication and equipment – while still enabling participation and fun.</p><p>We also hear from Jill at the University of Westminster on a QAA-funded sector audit of student representation, unpacking what effective student voice looks like across the UK, the importance of resourcing and training, and why authentic relationships sit at the heart of meaningful engagement. And we close our Middlesex SU series with Sarah and Cam reflecting on the Fast Track Scheme – how it identifies and develops talent, its impact on organisational innovation, and the challenges of supporting rapid progression.</p><p>With Rosie Hunnam (Organised Fun), Jill LeBihan (University of Westminster), Sarah Redman and Cam Purwanto (Middlesex Students’ Union), and hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Counterculture).</p>