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Over the past month we’ve been continuing to add resources to the Cost of Living Hub as we have them, including further Government support on Housing and additional news from SU-led initiatives. We’ve also been actively seeking feedback from students on the Hub and how it’s being accessed and are still welcoming any feedback to studentrights@shu.ac.uk.
We’ve been out and about on campus with our Cost of Living pop-ups, where we’ve been asking students for their top money saving tips around food and drink, transport and housing, energy and bills. We’ve given away prizes such as air friers, slow cookers and electric blankets for sharing tips with us, and given out lots of information on what support is available in each area. In the coming weeks we’ll be running an Instagram competition on the tips you gave us, where one lucky winner will receive a £100 Amazon voucher.
After many months of planning, we’re pleased to say that we’re now in the position to launch our Period Product Subscription Service. Our first round of products will be available to pick up from either City or Collegiate at the beginning of May, providing free period products throughout the semester. Sign-ups for the scheme are still open, and you can do so by visiting the campaign page above. Please note that you’ll need to be signed into the SU website to sign up.
We’ve now launched the Warm Space at the Hubs, giving students a relaxed and inviting space to study, socialise and unwind whilst enjoying free tea, coffee and facilities to charge phones, tablets and laptops, as well as microwaves to heat food.
We’ve now also launched the SU Swap Shop, giving students the change to get an entire new wardrobe for free! Based at the SU Office at Heart of the Campus (Collegiate), you can pop down and swap your unwanted items for anything that takes your fancy!
Finally, we’ll soon be launching wave 3 of our Cost of Living survey, where we aim to explore in more depth the issues that are really affecting students. The more responses we get, the stronger position we will be in to present our findings to the University to seek further support for students, so we’d love for you to fill it out if you are able. The survey is due to be open from 1st to 19th May, and we’ll be sending our more communication when it’s open.
It's been a busy couple of months here at the SU. We've been working hard to deliver on our Cost of Living projects, and we're excited to share them all with you! We've spent some time redeveloping the Cost of Living Hub to be easier to use, with more interactive information spread over every aspect of student life.
We've just launched the Activities Inclusion Fund, which provides funding to students to help them participate in extracurricular activities such as Give it a Go opportunities, SU events, and Society activity. Awards of up to £50 are available, and you can download the guidance document and apply for the fund now, or you can email r.powls@shu.ac.uk for more information.
The University have now launched the Heller Bursary, which gives students the chance to access between £500 and £2000. This can be used to help fund something you are passionate about that is completely outside your area of academic study. They've also relaunched the Energy Costs Grant, giving successful applicants a one-off payment of £80 to help towards their energy bills. Applications for both are now open.
If you've been following us, you'll be familiar with our much-anticipated clothing Swap Shop, which we're happy to say is now officially OPEN! Based at the Heart of the Campus, it gives students the chance to get an entire new wardrobe for free! Pop down between 10am and 2pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to see what we've got.
Over the past year we've been meeting regularly with the University to develop a system to help tackle period poverty, and to create something that goes above and beyond the current 'Caught Short' scheme. We've now launched a free period product subscription scheme, providing products each month over the academic year.
We're now in the process of redeveloping the Cost of Living Hub, bringing you more content that will be engaging and interactive, separated into different areas of student life. We're also ploughing ahead with our plans to launch our Cost of Living inititives such as the clothing Swap Shop, Warm Space and Community Fridge. We continue to meet with the University to work towards eradicating period poverty and the barriers it causes in education, and we hope to have significant updates on this after the Christmas break.
We've been hard at work these past few months coming up with the best cost of living offer for our students as possible. We are currently working across the Union to deliver a whole range of services. We're setting up a swap shop, for students to swap their clothes. We're turning Hideout into a warm bank, so you'll be able to hangout, charge your phones, get free coffee, and access our wifi! The Officers are working with University of Sheffield Students' Union Officers to lobby key players in housing and transport sectors to lower costs for students across the city. We're close to launching our period product subscription scheme, where 250 students struggling with period poverty will get free menstrual products for a year. We have also had our grant accepted for Hubbubs Community Fridge initiative, meaning we will have a community fridge available, stocked with sustainably sourced food that is free to the student body.
Our Research & Insight team are currently analysing the results from the 2nd round of our cost-of-living survey, so we will be able to act on your feedback. You can also, as always, access our Advice Centre if you're struggling with anything, and they can help you navigate the hardship fund or the international emergency fund if you need it. Also, if there's anything else you think the Students' Union or University should be doing, then contact studentrights@shu.ac.uk.