Avery's 2023: Looking Back

Everyone has done their yearly roundup so here are my most important developments of 2023:

• Started the second year of my course – transitioning from your first year at university to your second is never an easy feat with the rapid increase in workload and most importantly, the fact that this year counts to my grade. However, I’ve settled in incredibly well. I was trained to become a Course Representative for Second Year Psychology by the incredible and engaging Stephanie Lomas. As a Course Representative, I’ve successfully handled a student complaint case and spent quality time listening to my peers.

• Working with Societies – in March I was also elected the chair of the Trans* Society, a group for transgender and gender diverse students to socialise, get to know like-minded people and get involved in the push for trans acceptance! A social was hosted and there is much more planned for 2024!

I also established the Labour Society in the Summer and became the elected Chair. The society has had it’s first meeting and member campaign priorities have been laid out. With a general election imminent, the UCLan Labour Society plans to play a major role in helping Preston CLP’s election effort, especially in Blackpool South! There is much more planned for this society in 2024.

• Becoming the Representative of Trans* Students – after a successful election campaign in March, I am now the Representative of Trans* Students at UCLan Students’​ Union. My goal as Trans* Rep was to radically implement progressive policy and student action toward national causes. After submitting two big ideas to the student body, we managed to lobby the Students’ Union to support a Progressive Preferred Name Policy at UCLan and, a National Conversion Therapy Ban.

I have logged over 120 hours of volunteering within this role, spending that time campaigning, organising events, and listening to student concerns.

I have spent a significant amount of time working with other council members, especially the amazing Jodie Roberts working towards greater representation and support for Care Experienced and Care Leavers students, and, Joseph Bigland, the Vice-President of Welfare, who has helped significantly across my campaigns.

• A Progressive Preferred Name Policy at the University of Central Lancashire – working with the University and the Students’ Union, progress towards a Preferred Name Policy at UCLan has begun. This campaign boasts support from the Students’ Council and in early December, I held a student consultation, discussing the changes students want to see in the new policy. This work will continue into 2024.

• Working Towards a Conversion Therapy Ban – in the summer I organised a petition to try and get conversion therapy banned. This petition resulted in a government response and a debate, just not in the most conventional way. This was due to the Petitions Committee deciding to take action into their own hands I decided to pair this campaign with my role as the Trans* Rep at UCLan Students’ Union. This resulted in the Students’ Council voting to support a ban, making it Students’ Union policy to work towards a Ban and lobby NUS to support a ban until 2026.

This campaign extended outside of UCLan with various Students’ Unions supporting similar motions. The most notable of which being University of Warwick Students’​ Union voting to support a ban thanks to the incredible efforts of Dorian Valentine. Campaign efforts will continue throughout 2024.

• Trans Day of Remembrance – this was the first time I had ever hosted an event and this was for sure a difficult one. We organised a vigil to remember the people that we had lost to violence and suicide within the year. This was an important moment to bring together UCLan’s Transgender community and spread awareness to the wider UCLan community as a whole. At this event important conversations were made between myself and senior university staff, this event was a success and will be organised again in 2024.

Thank you everyone for an incredible and productive year. In 2024, let’s finish what we started: get a preferred name policy and UCLan, Ban Conversion Therapy Nationally and, win a general election!