{"id":3639,"date":"2024-01-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/?p=3639"},"modified":"2025-07-30T07:47:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T06:47:41","slug":"kickstart-your-new-year-with-the-students-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2024\/01\/01\/kickstart-your-new-year-with-the-students-union\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Things to Try this Year at Your Students’ Union"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we all step into a brand-new year, you may have some resolutions involving trying something new. meeting new people or pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now is the perfect time to amplify your university experience by getting involved with the heartbeat of student life- your Students\u2019 Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond studying in the McClay and attending lectures, is a space for students to explore new possibilities and new opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog, we’ll look at just some of the ways you can dive into a range of student activities, make a lasting impact, and shape your academic journey into an unforgettable one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Discover Your Passion<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The SU is a smorgasbord of diverse clubs, societies, and initiatives. Whether your interests lie in sports, arts, gaming, socialising or something unique, there’s a place for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kick off this semester with a trip to our Refreshers’ Fair<\/a> on Wed 17 Jan from 11am in Mandela Hall and meet some of our amazing Clubs or Societies. This is a great space to explore your options and find what fits you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make this year all about discovering and nurturing your passion! You can also check out our A-Z of clubs and societies<\/a> to see everything we have on offer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Put Yourself Forward <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Is it time to step into a leadership role that will not only enhance your CV but will also empower you to influence positive change at Queen\u2019s and beyond?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominations are now open for our SU Elections, our Full-Time, Paid Student Officer roles allow you to develop essential leadership skills and provide the training to give you the confidence you need to represent the Student Body of Queen\u2019s. But it’s not just about what you can gain; it’s about what you can contribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also have a range of part-time voluntary roles such as Student Association Chairs, Undergrad Reps and Faculty Reps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more here<\/a> and put yourself forward by 5pm, Mon 1 Feb!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Give Back<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Volunteering has loads of surprising benefits- not only do you get that feel good factor from doing something positive for others, but it can also lower your stress, anger and anxiety levels, improve your self confidence and even advance your career aspects by teaching you valuable job skills- plus there’s the added bonus of meeting lots of new people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applications are now open for our Homework Clubs Programme<\/a>, which connects student volunteers with children and young people in areas of educational underachievement, providing crucial homework support. By volunteering with homework clubs you’ll be registered to record your volunteering hours to achieve the Prestige Volunteer Certificate and you’ll be eligible to apply for a Queen\u2019s Future Ready Award!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find out more about Homework Clubs here<\/a>. Applications close Tues 16 Jan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or if you are would prefer a more casual volunteering role then our Handy Helpers Programme<\/a> is for you! From community gardening to decorating charity premises, you can pick and choose what you want to take part in, allowing you to gain experience in various settings while actively contributing to the local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Develop Your Business<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Why not take part in this year\u2019s Dragon’s Den Competition and elevate your entrepreneurial journey!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Network and connect with industry leaders, ramp up your business skills with insights from successful entrepreneur and stand a chance to win a share of our \u00a320,000 prize pot to fuel your business launch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applications are now open and will close Mon 12 Feb! Find out more here<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Don’t forget you can find out the latest events, opportunities, programmes and competitions at QSU on our Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and X<\/a> accounts- so make sure you are following us so you don’t miss out!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we all step into a brand-new year, you may have some resolutions involving trying something new. meeting new people or pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. Now is the perfect time to amplify your university experience by getting involved with the heartbeat of student life- your Students\u2019 Union. Beyond studying in the McClay and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,234,68,5,52,66],"tags":[46,61,96,15,130,97,56],"class_list":{"0":"post-3639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-advice-support","8":"category-competitions","9":"category-events-activities","10":"category-local-living","11":"category-student-life","12":"category-upskilling-opportunities","13":"tag-belfast","14":"tag-societies","15":"tag-studentlife","16":"tag-students","17":"tag-things-to-do","18":"tag-unilife","19":"tag-volunteer","20":"czr-hentry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2023\/12\/C-andS-priscilla-du-preez-nF8xhLMmg0c-unsplash-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6B2ST-WH","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3639"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4886,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3639\/revisions\/4886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}