How to set up a

How to set up a Society Everything you need to know to become a UWE Students’ Union Society 1 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc WHY? 1) 2) Why set up a Society?  List of current societies What you get from UWE Students’ Union. HOW? 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) Starting your own society in 6 easy steps Getting started Members, Committee Constitution, aims, profile Official Recognition/Approval WHAT NEXT? 8) 9) What you can then do Useful contacts 2 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc Why? 1) So... why set up a Society? In the current climate of Education, many people need & want to get more out of University than just a degree. There’s a saying that goes "Don't just get a degree, get an education!" Getting a degree at University doesn’t necessarily mean as much as it used to! To be attractive to the ‘real’ world you may need extra transferable life skills. Joining a Society can:       Increase your EMPLOYABILITY Improve your SKILLS Enhance your SOCIAL LIFE Introduce you to new FRIENDS Be FUN Allow you to get INVOLVED MAKE YOU DO SOMETHING Societies are open to all students, staff & members of the local community, although full membership and committee posts are only open to UWE students. Societies enable you to meet a diverse range of people, build on a skill or start something completely new. Being involved in the actual running of a Society by being on the committee (or starting one up from scratch) can not only give you numerous responsibilities and skills that will be useful later in life but also be fun & rewarding. UWE currently has over 70 different Clubs and Societies ranging from Skydive to People & Planet. If nothing interests you from the list of current UWE Clubs & Societies or you fancy something new, start up your own! It’s very easy to start your own Society, just follow the steps in this booklet and come up to the Activities Centre (5th Floor, F Block) where the Activities Centre staff can help you with the whole process. 3 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc Clubs & Societies 2008/2009 Activities Council: Cultural and Religious: African-Caribbean Hellenic Islamic Malaysian Student Association Sikh Activity: Bar School Capoeira Chess Comets Cheerleading Squad Dance LINKS (St Johns Ambulance) Paintball Scouts and Guides Skater Hockey Shorinji Kempo Interest: Aero Space Archaos Forensic Science History International Business & Finance Out (LGBT) People & Planet Post Grad Racing Real Ale SPIES Technology Music & Arts: Anime Drama Society Live Music Urban Western Footlights Political: Respect Socialist Stop the War SWSS Sports Council: Combat Sports: Boxing Fencing Jiu-Jitsu Kickboxing Tae Kwon Do Outdoor Pursuits: Climbing Mountain & Hillwalking Mountain Bike Skydive Snowsports Team/Individual Sports (Indoor): Badminton Basketball Men Basketball Women Cricket Netball Tennis Trampolining Squash Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball Team Sports (Outdoor): American Football Athletics Football Men Football Women Golf Hockey Riding Rugby Men Rugby Women Polo Water Sports: Boat Canoe Sailing Sub Aqua Surf Swimming & Waterpolo Windsurf 4 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc Why? What are the benefits of setting up and running a society/club? What can UWESU give you?  Financial Assistance through Budget allocation.  Free Room Hire.  Free First Aid Courses.  Free use of First Aid Kits.  Free Committee, Safety & Treasurers training.  Free Midas (Minibus) Assessments.  Use of Union Minibus & People Carrier.  Free use of phone in the Activities Centre for Society business.  Invite to the Activities Awards Evening.  Email account.  Free website for your club/soc and training.  Once ratified can charge membership to use for the benefit of your Society members.  Voting power at Activities Council meetings and AGM’s  Your career chances could be seriously improved: due to increasing numbers of graduates competing for jobs, the ability to show experience & skills can make all the difference.  Your time at University is likely to be the time you have the most freedom, and the most opportunities to follow your own interests: Why should your degree be the only thing you achieve during this time?  Use of photocopiers for club/society business at a cheaper rate.  Help with event planning, publicity, sponsorship deals…  AND, you get your very own notice board & pigeonhole! 5 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc Starting your own Club/Society in 6 easy steps 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 5 interested people-names, student ID no’s. 3 committee members (UWE students)-names, details Constitution - Aims & Objectives Profile - what you’ll be doing, membership fee, meetings Attend Activities Council Meeting for approval Attend committee training (3 committee members) after Activities Council Meeting Official UWESU Society! 6 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc Getting started So...you want to set up a Society, you’ve got an idea of what you want to do and think other people are interested but that’s about it? Next step = Organise a meeting. This will help you recruit other members, decide on a committee and finalise your aims, objectives and profile. What you need to do before meeting:      Decide a good time, avoiding busy lecture times, sports, holidays etc... Decide on proposed venue-somewhere specific, but still informal, accessible to all (for room bookings contact the Activities Centre, 5th floor F block) Publicise meeting Plan agenda (timetable of meeting) Makes notes on what to say What you need to do by end of meeting:  Decide on name of society  Approve constitution & profile  Elect committee members (by secret ballot) and have them fill in their details on the committee sheet  Have list of at least 15 people interested in joining If you need any help on publicising meetings, holding & planning meetings, electing committee members or any of the above pop into the Activities Centre, or email activities.centre@uwe.ac.uk 0117 328 3291/2719 Or alternatively pop into the SU office at any site. 7 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc HOW? Members & Committee members To set up a new Society you will need to have at least 15 people who sign to say they are interested in joining the proposed society. Their full names, contact details and student ID number need to be recorded on the form. Three of these people need to be the designated committee members President, Secretary & Treasurer, all of whom must be UWE Students. Other committee members can be decided at a later date. What Are The Responsibilities Of Each Position? The Positions below are the minimum requirement. Individual Clubs/Societies are perfectly at liberty to have additional officers to which duties can be assigned. President  To generally co-ordinate the plan of activities, so that for each project the people involved know what to do by when, and that all the necessary resources are available.  To be the main point of contact with the Students’ Union and with bodies outside of the Students’ Union.  Provide an adequate program of events for all members in the society.  Responsible for the behaviour of society members and keeping the society in line with UWESU’s and the society constitution  Health & safety of society members (unless delegated as a responsibility to another position)  To be in regular contact with the Activities centre staff & Activities President with updates on the society’s progress, Secretary  To receive incoming communications (post and e-mail) and pass these on to the committee and/or members.  To maintain and update membership lists.  To keep members up-to-date with what is, and will be, happening in the society.  To set up meetings.  Provide secretarial support to the society committee and issue the minutes of meetings to club members and to the Student Activities Officer Treasurer  To keep track of the financial accounts of the society by overseeing all income & expenditure.  To make other members of the committee are aware of the societies financial situation.  Producing a financial plan for the academic year and produce the annual budget proposal.  To be accountable to the Student Union’s Activities President. The above three also have a collective responsibility for: Developing the club/society; trips, fixtures; recruiting their own successors; authorising expenditure; ensuring at least one member attends Sports/Activities meetings. 8 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc HOW? Aims & Objectives Before anyone joins your society, they’ll want to know what they’d actually be doing. The Students' Union also needs to know your “Aims & Objectives” in order for the Sports or Activities Council to approve your club/society so that it can become an officially recognised by UWESU. These “Aims & Objectives” will be included in the Societies’ constitution which will outline how the Society will run, who can be members, who can be committee members and how they will be elected. Most societies use a template constitution which has been agreed with the Students’ Union. It ensures that the soc is open to all, works within UWESU’s own constitution (copies can be obtained from the Activities Centre) and includes policies on safety, equal opportunities & democracy. What You Need To Do: Using the Information in the boxes below, write a draft of your aims and objectives. If you get stuck for ideas at this point, many people find that “idea storming” with a few other people will start the ideas flowing, or get in touch with us (see “Contacts”): we may be able to help. Examples of Aims Guidelines for Aims & Objectives  What you are writing is an explanation, for potential members and Sports & Societies staff, of what your society/club is for and how it will try to achieve its purpose.  Aims should give as full and concise as possible a picture of what your society / club will actually be doing. This does not mean naming every activity, but giving an indication of the types of activities.  Aims should be self-explanatory (so avoid specialised terms, or abbreviations that potential members, or Student Council members may not know!  Remember that your members and the Students' Union, will expect you to remain within your aims. Providing the aims are feasible & legal, the constitution is approved at Sports or Activities Council, any changes to it, once approved, can be made at Club/Society Annual General meetings (AGM’s).  The UWESU Archery Club aims to provide its members with coaching, the opportunity to take part in national competitions and an active social programme. To achieve these aims, the club will provide a coach, compete in national fixtures and organise regular social evenings.  The UWESU Animal Rights Society aims to involve as many members as possible in actively campaigning against several forms of animal abuse and to inform ourselves, other students and the public about the issues involved. To achieve these aims, the society will organise and/or attend demonstrations, provide a newsletter and meetings, and make use of publicity around the University. 9 Acentre\Activities\Societies\How to set up New Soc\How to set up 08-09.doc HOW? Profile Having decided what sort of society you are going to set up, you will need to provide some firm examples of what the members could find themselves doing in the next couple of months. (Potential members are unlikely to invest time and effort in joining your society/club unless they have a clear idea of what benefits they can gain from it). What You Need To Do: Spend some time thinking of possible Proposed Events. (As in step 1, many people find that “idea storming” with a few other people, or talking to the Students' Union, will start the ideas flowing. Keep copies for yourself as well. Guidelines for Proposed events The proposed events are to give potential members some examples of what your society will do, and give your society a plan of initial achievements to aim for. Proposed events should be:  Diverse (Variety is the spice of life where keeping your member’s interest is concerned: so mix in your “core activity” with Social Events and Information).  Offering a chance of involvement to as many members as possible.  Realistic  Within UWESU constitution & your own aims. Inspiration for proposed events can be found in a number of ways: for example: look at what other societies/clubs have done, ask other/ similar organisations (e.g. Bristol Uni) what they do and what you could link up with. Example Of Proposed Events: Kylie Minogue Appreciation Society.  Social Events: Including Society Social Nights at the “Red Bar”. Fortnightly  Meetings: To discuss upcoming events for the society, twice per term.  Newsletter: Free to all members, covering upcoming society and other events in the UK, and news / articles from the world of pop!  Trips: Subsidised Transport for members: fortnightly.  Conferences: Annually.  Exhibitions / Speakers; Staged in the University: Monthly. 10 D:\Docstoc\Working\pdf\dfb8addb-95c6-4d4c-94d7-ec1e0418ad33.doc How Much is Manageable?  The amount of planning necessary to organise your Core Activity (i.e. whatever your society was set up to do) will vary according to what it is, but remember to build in time to tell people. (Assume that publicity should be in place two weeks before the day, plus time to prepare publicity).  Social events can be organised relatively easily if you are organising the “get everyone to the pub together” or “get everyone out for a meal together” variety of events. However you will need to assume time for publicity, as above, plus time to prepare the publicity, book the place (if relevant) and take deposits (if relevant). Organising the sorts of events where you need to book a venue, hire music, sell tickets and so on is more complicated: it is not recommended that you organise events of this type until you have been on committee training.  The organisation of Trips needs time to prepare publicity, plus time beforehand spent making sure your society has transport/a registered minibus driver etc and completing a Students' Union Trip Form (ask the Students' Union for details: see “contacts”).  General Meetings i.e. for the whole membership to plan for next term/year and to inspire/recruit organisers for the coming term should be held at the start and end of terms 1 and 2.  News, preferably e-mailed to members, should be sent out as soon as you have definite plans and dates to tell members about, and continued regularly (around monthly). 11 D:\Docstoc\Working\pdf\dfb8addb-95c6-4d4c-94d7-ec1e0418ad33.doc NEW SOCIETIES FOR RATIFICATION TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL UWESU SOCIETY YOU WILL NEED TO:  Return all the paperwork* – constitution, profile, members (15 minimum) & committee details to the Activities Centre (5th floor, F Block, Frenchay) at least one week before Activities Council meeting. Attend the Activities Council/Societies Executive meeting to answer any queries re: your soc. You should receive an e-mail invitation from the Activities President. You will be notified when your society/club has been approved, and we will then discuss the facilities/assistance you are entitled to.   AFTER RATIFICATION YOU MUST:  Attend committee training – you will be notified of the date by the Activities President. *Copies of these documents will be returned to you (if required), and the originals will go forward to Activities Council for approval. AFTER APPROVAL YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:          Start charging money from your members – you will also have a bank account in the SU – on the 4th floor. Start holding & publicising meetings as an official UWESU soc Hire rooms – in the SU or Uni (see Activities Centre, 5th floor, Frenchay) Apply for a budget (see www.uwesu.net sports & activities sections) Hire vehicles through the SU – please ask in the Activities Centre for details regarding eligibility and insurance (5th floor SU). Use the (free) phone line in the Activities Centre for soc organisation Use the photocopier in the Activities Centre and/or 4th floor of the SU (charged to your soc) Set up your own (free) website – training available Vote at Activities Council on any issue affecting sports/societies. 12 D:\Docstoc\Working\pdf\dfb8addb-95c6-4d4c-94d7-ec1e0418ad33.doc Useful Contacts Presidents Alice Bouquet Activities President (Societies) (full time Student Officer) 0117 32 82536 activities.president@uwe.ac.uk Budgets, events, policy, Activities Council, training, representation Lily Priggs Sports President (full time Student Officer) 0117 32 82915 sports.president@uwe.ac.uk Budgets, events, policy, Sports Council, training, representation Sports and Activities Staff Chris Anthony Activities Development Co-ordinator (full time staff) 0117 32 83291 chris.anthony@uwe.ac.uk Societies, student development, volunteer accreditation, RAG, trips Kirsty Tomlinson Sports & Activities Manager (full time staff) 0117 32 83288 kirsty.tomlinson@uwe.ac.uk Activities Safety, sports & activities development, sponsorship, intramural, BUSA Debbie Robertson 0117 32 81403 General enquiries Sports & Activities Centre Assistant (full time staff) debbie.robertson@uwe.ac.uk 13 D:\Docstoc\Working\pdf\dfb8addb-95c6-4d4c-94d7-ec1e0418ad33.doc