WELCOME FROM SU PRESIDENTThe University experience goes beyond what you learn on your course. There are countless opportunities outside your studies for you to develop your skills, your knowledge, and gain crucial experience that will both enhance your time at University and help you progress in your future career

Many of these opportunities are provided through involvement with the Students’ Union – an organisation which depends on the involvement of its members to function effectively. Leadership opportunities are available in the three key strands of the Union’s work.

You may already be involved as a Course Rep, an Activity Group Leader, a Community Volunteer or a Union Council member. You may have already been involved in a campaign or project that set out to make an improvement on campus or in the wider community. Perhaps you aren’t already, but want to get involved with one or more of the above.

It’s never too late to get started.

For me becoming a student leader was a life changing event, it was initially through our activity groups which allowed me to make friends, build confidence and boost my CV. This opened my eyes to what opportunities the Students’ Union could provide for me and the impact it could have in leading me down a path I never thought I could take.

The Student Leadership Award is there to open doors for you both while you’re a student at Huddersfield, and for when you enter the world of work.

The award will help you develop and exercise skills which you perhaps wouldn’t gain from the classroom experience. Skills which are transferable and sometimes essential for future employers – more commonly referred to as competencies.

While one of the core purposes of the award is to help equip students with the right tools they need for the working world, don’t forget that it’s in place to provide you with opportunities which you will benefit from, and subsequently for you to get enjoyment out of.

So go out and enjoy being a student leader, being a campaigner, an activist, a volunteer - at the end of it you’ll reap the benefits I’m sure. But most of all, the Student Leadership Award is there to recognise you for the work you do for having a positive impact on fellow students, for making their life at university better.

Enjoy it, take pride in what you’re doing to help fellow students and the community, get as much out of it as you can and good luck!

Mike McGouganStudents’ Union President 2015/16

GUIDANCE NOTESHow does it work?

The Student Leadership Award is judged on the submission of a reflective portfolio submitted in Term 2, which details your involvement in one or more areas of student leadership activity, and how this involvement has developed you as a person. Each area is judged against a set of competencies, and requires you to provide examples of how these have been met.

The identified areas for student leadership activity are:

Making the student voice heardThe Students’ Union political agenda is led by the Union Council, who play a key role in deciding what campaigns the Union will run, and leading on student involvement. Another crucial role in leading change in the university is being able to represent fellow students at course, department or school level.

Suitable for: Course Reps, School Reps, School Council members, Union Council members, NUS delegates and Campaign project leaders

Leading a fun and enriching student lifeThe student population at Huddersfield has a huge range of interests which are represented in the many student-led sports clubs and societies that are supported by the Students’ Union.

Suitable for: Club and society committee members

Active involvement in community lifeStudents can contribute to the local community through a range of volunteering opportunities, from one-off projects to taking the lead on some of our on-going volunteering initiatives.

Suitable for: Charity volunteering

If you’re still unsure whether you are a student leader take a look at the examples grid at the end of the portfolio to identify whether you are eligible for the award.

Portfolio Assessment

Your portfolio will be assessed against the criteria by two members of students’ union staff who are directly involved in working with student leaders.

A judging panel will then confirm whether you are awarded a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Vice Chancellor’s award.

The judging panels

To ensure a suitable range of expertise, entries will be confirmed by a panel consisting of: A Students’ Union Exec Officer A relevant senior University staff member or representative from an external

organisation A representative from the University Careers and Employability Service Students’ Union staff members whose remits are closely linked to the student

leadership areas

The Vice Chancellor’s Award

All submissions awarded a Gold level will also be considered for the Vice Chancellor’s Award – a prestigious top-level award that recognises outstanding contribution to university and community life. Winners will have demonstrated that they have gone above and beyond the criteria for a Gold level, and will be given a special mention at their graduation ceremony, as well as being invited to an award dinner with the Vice Chancellor himself.

Your Student Leadership Award journey

1. If you are not already – get involved. The opportunities on offer within the three areas of student leadership cater for a wide range of interests – there is something for everyone.

2. Familiarise yourself with the portfolio template and make sure you gain a good understanding of the competencies you have been asked to meet.

3. Attend a Student Leadership Award portfolio workshop to ensure you are clear on how to best present your achievements and self-development. Details of these can be found online.

4. We encourage you to update your portfolio on a regular basis, as it will become difficult to remember everything you have done and provide meaningful reflection if you wait until the end of the year.

5. Your portfolio can be submitted at any time by email to the Student Leadership Award email address L.Award@hud.ac.uk . The deadline for all applications to be received by is Tuesday 3 May 2016, 09.00.

6. Judging will take place between Tuesday 3 May 2016 and Friday 20 May 2015 – winners will then be invited to celebrate their achievements at the Students’ Union Awards on Friday 27 May 2016.

Key Contacts

Participation in the Student Leadership Award should involve on-going engagement with the Students’ Union, who will provide you with mentoring and support in both your chosen activities and development of your portfolio. At any time, you can get in touch with:

Making the Student Voice HeardDemocracy and Campaigns Coordinator  Dan Ridsdale: d.ridsdale@hud.ac.uk

Course Rep Co-ordinatorAndy Blunt: a.blunt@hud.ac.uk

Course Rep Co-ordinatorHeather Wade: h.wade@hud.ac.uk

Leading a fun and enriching student lifeStudent Activities Coordinator (Societies)Emily Turney: e.turney@hud.ac.uk

Student Activities Coordinator (Sports)Amy Affleck: a.affleck@hud.ac.uk

Active involvement in community lifePlease contact Emma or Jasmine at: volunteering@hud.ac.uk

For any general enquiries about the Student Leadership Award please contact:

Student Activities ManagerKirstie Carruthers: k.carruthers@hud.ac.uk

EXAMPLES GRID

Representation Activities Volunteering

Influ

enci

ng

Resolving an issue on your course

Implementing an idea for the improvement of your course

Influencing a decision at a high level within the institution that affects the wider student population

Different ways in which you encourage students to join your club or society

Different ways in which you’re able to inspire and keep registered club/society members engaged

Applying for financial support through ratification and sponsorship

Making an impact on the people/cause you are supporting

Encouraging others to get involved in volunteering

Engaging others to become involved in campaigns to support charities

O

rgan

isat

iona

l A

war

enes

s

Understanding how your role as a representative of the student voice can help to lead and direct the work of the Students’ Union

Understanding of factors that affect how Students’ Unions are governed and how this affects how they operate

Understanding of factors that influence the Higher Education environment on a national level and the impact these have at the University of Huddersfield

Understanding the value club or society membership can bring to students’ lives

Recognising the positive impact a club or society has in the Higher Education context

Realising the positive impact that clubs and societies can make in community

Understanding the impact volunteering has on a charity or organisation’s objectives

Realising the benefit volunteering can have in the community

Appreciating the positive impact volunteering can make on student life

Sel

f-Mot

ivat

ion

Evidence of seeking out the opinions of students on a regular basis through a range of methods

Evidence of going beyond the routine raising of issues by proactively suggesting improvements on a regular basis

Actively contributing your time and effort to involvement in or leading on Students’ Union campaigns

Able to deliver sessions to a group of student members

Ability to keep a club or society developing and delivering improvements

Bringing new ideas to a club or society and carrying these out

Use of initiative when you have carried out positive voluntary action without direction

Demonstrating occasions where you have gone above and beyond the expectations of your volunteering

Creating or proposing a new idea which can enhance the volunteering you are part of

If you’re having difficulty thinking of examples how you have met each competency area, the below grid provides a variety of examples you could use when completing your portfolio.

Ada

ptab

ility

Ability to represent viewpoints that may be different from your own

Improving a proposal on the basis of feedback given to you by your peers

Undertaking further research to improve an idea or to back up a point you have made

Being able to deal with the unexpected when things don’t go to plan for your club or society

Ensuring that your club or society remains inclusive to a diverse student population

Being able to use initiative when factors beyond your control affect the environment in which your club or society operates changes

Describe a time when you have been volunteering and something hasn’t gone quite to plan and how you adapted to the situation

How well you deal with change when alterations are made to the volunteering you’re participating in

Proving you’re flexible in your volunteering by undertaking tasks that might not initially have been expected of you

Res

ilien

ce

Ability to respond to a negative outcome to an issue or idea that you have raised.

Dealing with difficult arguments from course mates or fellow representatives when debating an idea or reporting on a decision

Ability to respond to criticism when being held to account by students you represent

Ability to deal with club and society complaints as and when they arise and being able to react positively

Being able to run a club or society in adherence to set regulations

Leading a club or society with limited resources

A positive and proactive response when volunteering and something hasn’t quite gone to plan

Being able to remain calm and level-headed in demanding and high pressure volunteering scenarios

Ability to quickly recover from setbacks that may occur in volunteering

SCORING CRITERIAYour application will be marked by the following score levels depending on how well you meet each competency. Each number you have been awarded for each competency will then be totalled to decide whether you are a Bronze, Silver or Gold awardee. The higher number you score per competency the more likely you will score a higher level of award.

Score Levels (per competency)

1 – An example provided for how you have matched each competency area.

2 – Provide reflection on how your example for each competency has helped you develop that skill.

3 –Explain the impact you have made through the example you have provided for each competency area.

Score Total

The below scale displays the boundaries that depict what level of award you will achieve through the total of each score you gain through each competency.

0 – 4 = insufficient criteria met5– 8 = Bronze9 – 12 = Silver13 – 15 = Gold

LOG PAGE This page is to help you record activities you have participated in throughout the year that

may help to serve as examples you could use to prove how you meet the competency areas.

Month Examples

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April