VP Community and Welfare

Umma Umara (SHE/HER)

 

1. Employability

Intention
 
Increase access to meaningful, paid employment and internship opportunities for UWE students, enabling them to develop transferable skills, gain experience and broaden their future career pathways. 
 
Interventions 

• Part-time employment 
  • Strengthen the Job Shop. 
  • Engage new employers to advertise student-friendly vacancies. 
  • Work with student staff to increase Job Shop visibility and reach. 
  • Identify gaps in the types of opportunities available. 
     
• Paid internships 
  • Build a working relationship with UWE employability/internship teams. 
  • Map existing paid internship opportunities and schemes. 
  • Improve student awareness and access to programmes such as Strive. 
  • Explore opportunities for new/expanded employer partnerships. 

 

2. Transport - Buses and trains

Intention
 
Reduce financial barriers to transport for students and improve awareness of affordable, accessible and safe travel options. 
 
Interventions
 

• Affordable travel 
  • Promote the £2 bus fare cap ahead of January 2027. 
  • Create student-friendly explainer content with First Bus. 
  • Explain how students can access and benefit from the cap. 
  • Working closely with other South West reginal universities. 

 

• Safe travel 
  • Promote First Bus X Strut Safe. 
  • Create content around travelling/walking home safely. 
  • Street safe app promotion and UWE Police Pop ups (Video with UWE Police asking questions eg. What can students come and ask you?) etc things related to travel. 
  • Dr Bike- updates. 

 

• Accessible & informed travel 
  • Communicate relevant concessionary travel changes. 
  • Provide timely information about bus-route changes affecting students. 
  • Work with First Bus to ensure information is accurate and accessible. 
  • Wheelchair access on buses

 

 

3. Accommodation  

Intention
 
Improve the affordability and accessibility of student accommodation by representing student concerns about housing costs, increasing transparency around rent, and improving access to affordable accommodation options and support. 
 
Interventions 
 

• Advocacy & transparency in UWE Accommodation  
  • Attend UWE rent review meetings. 
  • Understand rent structures and factors affecting accommodation costs. 
  • Gather and represent student concerns around affordability. 
  • Create accessible content explaining what accommodation costs cover. 
  • Produce UWE accommodation tours. 
  • Highlight facilities, accessibility and sustainability features. 
     
• Private accommodation awareness 
  • Promote the Accommodation Fair. 
  • Promote Student pad and alternative/private accommodation options. 
  • Signpost students to relevant housing and financial support. 

 

4. Mental health  

Intention
 
Strengthen mental health and wellbeing support by creating a culture where students feel safe seeking help without judgement and improving awareness and access to wellbeing, financial, housing, academic and specialist support. 
 
Interventions
 

• Awareness & access 
  • Promote Wisdom Wellbeing collaboratively with Sabbatical Officers. 
  • Improve awareness of financial, housing, academic and wellbeing support. 
  • Create targeted campaigns around specialist services. 
     
• Student voice 
  • Conduct regular student feedback surveys. 
  • Identify barriers to seeking support. 
  • Use student feedback to inform SU/university conversations. 
     
• Proactive wellbeing 
  • Deliver De-Stress Week during periods of academic pressure. 
  • Run pop-up wellbeing stalls and activities including D&A, ASV, Period etc related to wellbeing. 
  • Bring support and signposting directly into student spaces. 

 

5. FOOD

Intention
 
Improve access to affordable food on campus by increasing awareness of existing food support, exploring the reintroduction of Bring Your Own Bowl, and expanding access to free or low-cost food options. 
 
Interventions
 

• Bring Your Own Bowl 
  • Gather student feedback on demand for BYOB. 
  • Review previous BYOB model, costs and impact. 
  • Explore funding, food sourcing and logistical feasibility – look at costs to replicate this now 
  • Develop a pilot that can be scaled according to demand. 
  • Ensure provision considers Frenchay, Glenside and Bower. 
  • Potential for cheap meal like soup and roll at Bristol uni 

 

• Affordable food support 
  • Promote SU Bar discounts. 
  • Promote Community Larder. 
  • Signpost students to Too Good To Go, OLIO, EatClub and UNiDAYS/student discounts. 
  • Explore discounted/emergency food-box provision. 
  • Understanding from student money service of high difficulty times for students  
  • Promotion for the allotment spaces in the community garden- grow your veggies for free. 

 

• Student voice 
  • Survey students about food affordability and barriers – Glenside particuarly  
  • Use feedback to determine priorities and shape future provision.

 

Get in touch 

Email: vpcommwelfare@uwe.ac.uk
Instagram: @thesuatuwe_vpcw
Facebook: /VPCommWelfareatUWE