handover

how does one do it right?

talking at your elect is not the most engaging thing to do,
setting tasks is fine, but time restraints and creativity can hamper that one
and what about all the things i forget. My job has been vast and varied and trying to give enough info so the new Pres will have enough to start with is actually harder than i thought it would be!

i'm sure we'll get there in the end, and Thankfully Jen is pretty competent so I have nothing to worry about!

it's all coming to an end

Im getting quite emotional everyday now.

This time of year is more reflective than other months, and the constant goodbyes from staff and colleagues at our last meetings is getting quite sad.

Dr. Lady Amos

or Valerie as she insists to be called.

What a woman! She oozes personality and has an aura that just makes you raise your aspiration and want to change the world!

It was a pleasure to meet her and show her around the Guild, and i am so grateful that she made the time to offically name 'The Amos Room'.

Thanks to all those who showed up for the event- i think it went rather well
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my sobbing leaving speech at Guild Council

Once again we had over 10o voting members, and students who were just there for the fun! This was a long one, but only because of the elections and

speeches.

So anyway, here is my leaving speech

It’s been emotional, and so I imagine I will get a little soppy as I speak.

I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most amazing people this year and they have really developed me as a person and have become like family to me.This exec team have been a shoulder to cry on, have been the ears to listen to me, or the voice to tell me it will be ok.

After spending an intense year with the Guild, it is inevitable that there will be disagreements along the way, but one of the things I am most proud of is the way this team has behaved like a team, and the way you Guild Council have behaved with more respect, actually wanting to see results, trusting your exec, and not sensationalising every rumour that you hear.

I have a few thank yous I would like to make, I will keep them short. There is a lot I could say but I’m not sure how long I can hold back my emotions. For those that I don’t mention, I will speak to you later.

To my campaign team who aren't here tonight, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Thankyou.

The Independent Chairs have a tough job, and they do it as volunteers. But that isn’t what makes you special. It is the way you have conducted yourselves. You have been practical and helpful and have made this Guild Council more accessible. You have chaired the meeting as it should be chaired and on a personal note I have found you to be very supportive of the things that I have had to do this year. You have appreciated the difficult situations that I have been put in, offered advice and remained confidential and impartial throughout. It is this behaviour that makes you respectable, and has made this Guild Council much better for it. Thankyou for all of your help and support.

James Ogden, Redbrick editor. Your work shows integrity and have really developed Redbrick this year, which you should be proud of and have been constructive with me.It's important for the Editor and President to work together and we did, so thankyou, it’s been a pleasure and well done.

Jo Thomas, our General Manager. For those of you who watch the West Wing, Jo is like the Chief of Staff. You came into the Guild with fresh ideas and an open and honest approach to things. You have been the only senior manager here this year, which has meant that you have been doing the job of at least 3 people, which isn’t easy. I have heaps of respect for you and have learnt a lot from the way you have dealt with situations and helped and advised me throughout the year. You know what the boundaries are and have empowered me to do the things that have needed to be done. The culture in the Guild is changing and part of that is because you have set an example to the rest of us. There is a lot more I could say, but I’m going to keep this short. Thankyou for all of your support it really hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Tabbs, the PA to the Exec and GM. For those of you Guild Councillors who don’t know, the sabbs work about 10 hours a day (on a good day) and have hundreds of meetings, invites and papers to read. Tabbs is in charge of making sure that we are organised, know where we are meant to be and keep us all in line. Tabbs has certainly kept me in line and controlled my diary with an iron fist. But more than that, you have been a friend and someone who I have been able to share my concerns and problems with. Having someone to talk to in complete confidence has been a great help and I appreciate all of you advice and support not just professionally, but personally as well.

Emma Wedge, Representation and Democracy Manager. You have been excellent at keeping me in check, especially when I have needed advice on how to handle rediculous situations. You are very good at seeing the bigger picture and flipping my view round to make me look at something in a completely different way. Thankyou for all of your help.

The non-sabb team. I always felt guilty for dragging you into exec meetings and similar things, when all you wanted to do was get on a deal with your remit. You all have your skills and talents. Jessica, your energy! You are woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. I’m glad you’re on the team, and it has been a pleasure. Libby Hooper- where you get the time is beyond me. You have been vital in providing a different view to things and always have some wise words to add and you are unbelievably dedicated. Thankyou

For the team that has supported me, challenged me, taught me and made me enjoy my year I thank you. Sabbs, my surrogate family,

Simon you make me laugh so much. You have heaps of talent and creativity and your approach to life is liberating. You’re chilled out and good fun to be around and I have really loved having you on the team. You have been there when I have needed you and have a great way of making the things I’m saying sound less boring! It is because of you that we are more in touch with those students who don’t normally get involved.

Naush, also known as ‘bossy Naushy’ you are not to be messed with! Having seen you hunt Lizzy down and pummel her to the ground for making a short joke, I quickly learnt what can and can’t be said to you. You have made excellent head way with our relationship with the community and your work with the RAs has been brilliant. I admire your strength, honesty and your attitude to life and wish you all the success in your job in KPMGThankyou for being you.

Sarah, the fiery one! You have developed so much. You have a great deal of passion and fight inside of you and I am amazed at how much you have achieved this year. You have put mental health on the University agenda, and your dedication to the welfare of students knows no bounds. It has been a pleasure debating with you, or teaming up to kick ass at University Council, or working on Governance, which we all know can be a chore. It’s been so much fun to work with you and I wish you all the best for the years to come.

Will Bastin. The amount of ground work that you have put in to bring the issues surrounding sport to the surface is outstanding. To grasp all of the issues and develop a plan to sort them all our takes a special kind of individual, and I, and the Guild have been so lucky to have you here to do it. You are a very talented individual who sees things from a different perspective. And to still be active in Sport whilst holding down a demanding job is something to admire.

Laura- the jammy one who is in the know. You have offered me some good advice throughout the year, and you have so much knowledge in your head and so much potential to go far. You have built some good bridges with the University and you are part of the reason as to why they have been listening to us this year. It has been fantastic to work with you Laura and so much fun. Thankyou for all of your help.

Lizzy- you are simply amazing and incredibly observant. You and I have almost got good cop bad cop down to a T. Your energy and wisdom has been inspiring and you have always been there when I have needed a chat. I would like to thankyou for always making the time for me and being so honest with student groups and bringing the importance of skill development to the University’s attention.

To all of you, You are the team that put your own selves to one side and put the Guild at the forefront of everything that we do. You have been classy and are respected by so many people because of the way that you have handled everything.

I would like to say Thankyou for helping me and supporting me when I have needed it. It has been pretty difficult for me this year and there have been times when I have felt that I didn’t want to come into work. But I always came to work, and that is because I knew that you were all here supporting me and guiding me. It means a lot. I will miss working with you, and I know no job is going to compare to this, especially when I have to work with a different team, who quite frankly are going to suck in comparison to you all!So thankyou very much.

Now Guild Council, you have only seen half of what these people have been doing all year, if that. The amount of work that goes in to prepare for each topic or issue is overwhelming, yet they have still done it. And now students are better of because of them.

We’ve focused the budget on vital resources, the ARC will have more support to provide vital welfare services to our students, our student development department has secure funding, a fresh new direction and full staffing, our communications department now has the right staff in post to focus on talking and listening to our members, so we can tell our members when an officer has won a manifesto pledge, and our officers will have more PA support and believe it or not we are about to fill our senior management team, so we can get the full support that we need.

This executive team has done exactly what it set out to do. We aimed to focus on Communication, Representation, Education and Participation. We went back to basics, laid good solid foundations, spoke to the membership, developed relationships with our associates and we made this Guild sustainable.

Our work this year is only the beginning, and the good work and strong plans in place are the starting point for a bright and successful future for the Guild. And I am so pleased to be handing this all over to Jen and her team.

This Guild is more capable and complete than it has been for years and the reason is because we invested, we spoke to you about your views and we got on with what needed to be done.Now it is up to Jen and the team to take the next step and use this support and foundations to fight the battles that lie ahead. And make no mistake, they are big issues ahead of us and every single one of you needs to be on board.

Your Guild has the power to change things, many things, but only when it acts united.When 4000 students voted in the referendum, local MPs and the University hailed it as a success, with one MP go so far as to state that ‘the future of British democracy lies in the hands of students at the University of Birmingham’. That is quite a quote, but you know what, the future does lie in our hands, but only if we stand up and do something about it.

Next year the Government and Universities want to lift the cap on tuition fees, hall fees will increase and the basic cost of attending University will go up and up. You can do something about it, but only if you bother to.

So when Jen turns around next year and says lets fight for printing credits for all, and the VPHC says lets lower accommodation costs, I expect to see each and everyone of you out doing your bit.Our strength comes in our solidarity and unity, and 28,000 voices are hard to ignore.

I am confident that this new team will lead this Guild to new places, and make this Guild stronger. Good luck to the new team and to all of you who are here for another year.

Guild Council, there are exciting times ahead of you all. I wish you all the best of luck for your results and the future and I would like to thank you for supporting me and the team this year. And remember it’s your Guild, it is what you make it.

Thankyou for listening

Rhea

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sweet charidee...

It was drizzling wet, 1pm on Thursday, and Lizzy, Sarah and I were dressed as run away brides standing on the Bristol Road looking for a kind stranger to take us closer to Newquay.

We were picked up by a gentleman who had just come from a research meeting at Uni where they were discussing 'BioFuels' and their company 'Green Fuels'.

We also met a lady who's hand stitched quilt is in the final at some show in the NEC and an occupational therapist who set up a care centre for disabled children in Guatamala.

I had a brilliant time, and the best bit is we made money for charity! although we missed out on best dressed hitcher to 3 human sized flip flops (i must admit they did look good)

well done to Carnival for organising the hitch.

Court (the biggest Uni meeting ever)

Myself, Libby (home students officer) and Jo (the General Manager) took some members of Court round the Guild for a tour and a presentation.

Most of them were alumni and had a lot of fond memories of this place. Apparently the exec used to wear robes during Guild Council and the lincesee of Joes used to live in a flat upstairs.

A lot of good feedback was given about how far the Guild has come, but mostly i think they enjoyed comparing how things have changed.

I really enjoyed myself too. I will definately be returning here in a few years time to see how the Guild is getting on.

one more plug

don't forget to look into becoming a trustee of the Guild. It's an excellent opportunity, you will get so much out of it. PLus you get to work with people like me- and that's got to be a good thing!

www.guildtrusteeboard.com

p.s if you don't fancy it, why not pass it on to your friends. Just a thought
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