Your Semester 1 Wrapped

Well, what a semester it’s been! From exciting new QSU projects to student-led events, it’s been a busy and impactful start to the year. 

We’ve been blown away by the incredible contributions of our students, whether it’s getting involved in clubs & societies, mental health activities and volunteering opportunities, or raising funds for important causes. 

Here’s just a snapshot of all the hard work, passion, and achievements from Semester 1: 

• We’re excited to have launched a brand-new SU Swap Shop where students can swap and share pre-loved items like clothes, books, kitchenware, and all sorts of bric-à-brac 
• As part of our Warm Up With Us campaign, we handed out over 3,000 free meals to students – and we’re planning to do it again in the New Year! Keep an eye on our website for dates so you don’t miss out 
• The Pantry has been buzzing with 5,500 visits, and we’re thrilled to now offer free fresh fruit and vegetables on Wednesdays too! 
• Over 190 of you joined in on our SU Activity Hours, getting creative with glass decorating, origami, pumpkin painting and more 
• We hosted 6 workshops covering topics like mental health awareness, transitioning to university life, mindset, and the stages of stress and anxiety. We hope you found them helpful and inspiring! 
• The student-led mental health campaign, QUB Mind Your Mood, has hosted a variety of events this semester including a World Mental Health Day scavenger hunt, pumpkin smash, sensory space and zen den pop up, as well as a plant pot painting session! 

• Our Advice Team has supported approx. 770 students with over 1,700 issues
• Based on the advice provided, we helped students unlock an additional 15k of student funding and social security benefits
• 141 more of you have signed up to the Blackbullion financial wellbeing platform, bringing the total number of users to over 1,500. It’s great to see so many of you taking charge of your finances!
• We’re always here to help, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need us 

• We were thrilled to welcome over 30,000 visitors to our annual 3-day Freshers’ Fair, where they got to meet and chat with 150+ of our Clubs & Societies 
• We’re proud to have given £40,000 in funding to Societies and helped allocate more than £160,000 to Sporting Clubs 
• A huge shoutout to all of you who have joined our Clubs & Societies this year. With memberships currently sitting at 14,679 (Societies: 9,982 and Clubs: 4,697), we’ve hit our highest Club membership since pre-covid! 
• We’ve also celebrated the creation of 5 new Clubs & Societies, including the Vietnamese Students’ Society, Formula One Society, and Live Music Society 
• A special mention to the Walkie Talkie Girlies Society who organised their inspiring Project Pink Walk to stand against violence against women and girls. Over 500 attendees, including Queen’s students, staff, and Belfast Lord Mayor Micky Murray, walked from the SU to City Hall. Thanks to the society’s incredible lobbying efforts, Belfast City Council lit up City Hall in pink for the occasion. What an achievement! 
• Don’t forget, there’s so much to explore with our 220+ Clubs & Societies and you can join one or more any time throughout the year! Our Refreshers’ Fair is also taking place on Wed 15 Jan in Mandela Hall where you can meet some of them in person

• 95 student have made a big difference by volunteering with one of our 16 partner Homework Clubs, helping local children and young people with their studies! Applications are now open for Semester 2!
• 323 of you have registered for our Handy Helpers programme, getting involved in fun and impactful one-off volunteering activities like community gardening, Halloween dodgeball and a community litter pick. Thank you for lending a hand! 
• Around 600 of you stopped by our Volunteering & Wellbeing Fair to chat with 50+ external organisations about their opportunities and activities. We hope you found something that inspired you! 
• A shout out to QUB RAG, which has already raised £3,816 for their 2024-25 charities, Carers NI and Nexus NI 
• There’s lots of volunteering opportunities available that you can get involved in throughout the year

• We were delighted to award a share of £12.5k in funding to 11 students to help them bring their brilliant business ideas to life 
• Over 50 students have taken advantage of our free business 1-2-1’s, getting personalised advice to grow their ventures 
• Our co-working space in the SU has been buzzing with creativity, with 30 student entrepreneurs and alumni currently making the most of it to develop their businesses 
• A huge congratulations to the 5 student businesses that made it to the final of Student INVENT 2024, especially ‘Vibrotect’, which scooped the top prize of £2k! 
• We’re also trilled for the 4 student entrepreneurs who have secured a total of £35k in external funding  
• Got a business idea of your own? Whether you’re just starting out or ready to grow, check out how SU Enterprise can help you on your journey
• Got a business idea of your own? You could be in with a chance of winning a share of an amazing £25k prize pot in our QUB Dragon’s Den competition!

• 699 of you stepped up to represent your fellow students in roles like SU Councillor, Faculty Rep, School Rep, Course Rep, and Association Chair 
• We received over 20 ideas from students for us to take forward, including: a pedestrian crossing on Elmwood Avenue; secure and accessible cycle parking for students; more activities for commuter students; and professional experience mentoring. Submit your idea at any time here
• So far this year, we’ve held 3 Student Council Meetings and 6 EMC meetings
• We hosted the very first NUS Liberation Collective meeting in NI, bringing together student activists from trans, women, racialised, disabled and LGBTQ communities. Together they explored ways to contribute to UK-wide NUS campaigns 
• We also welcomed the Trilateral Meeting of the three national students’ unions (NUS-UK, USI, NUS-USI) 

• The Student Officers have been hard at work lobbying MPs and elected representatives on issues important to students, which has even seen SU President, Kieran, attend a Lobbying Day at Westminster. They continue to call for change surrounding: housing concerns; student fees; University funding models; the MaSN cap; and co-operative housing
• The Team have been representing students’ views to University Senior Management on a wide range of areas, like; the QUB academic year; a QUB institution-wide welcome; and QUB ethical investments
• The Team has also been working on the priorities they outlined in their Plan of Work, including: drugs and alcohol harm reduction; the cost-of-living crisis; environmental sustainability; student mental health; student voice in the University and more 

As we wrap up Semester 1, we’re incredibly proud of everything our student community has achieved. From raising awareness to supporting each other, you’ve truly made this semester one to remember. 

We can’t wait to see what the second half of the year brings!