Students for Global Health Society: Social and Welfare Officer(s)

I am interested in running for this position because I believe that our UCL Students for Global Health Society can benefit from increased collaboration and closer connections between members. Collaboration is key to progress and synergy, and it's important to encourage all members to share their ideas and thoughts about issues that matter in global health.

To ensure that everyone feels comfortable attending and has the opportunity to meet their peers, I plan to organise social events that focus on teamwork and conversation rather than solely drinking, such as bowling nights, pizza nights, and karaoke nights. This can help us get to know each other better and foster stronger bonds, which, in turn, can lead to better collaboration between sub-committees and across the society. Additionally, I will schedule these events at different times to accommodate different academic backgrounds and degree levels.

Furthermore, I hope to increase collaboration between sub-committees to strengthen the connections between individuals and cultivate the interdisciplinary considerations necessary for tackling global health issues.

Overall, my aim is to increase interconnectivity within the club and foster a shared passion for working towards global health.

Health equity is desired globally. Despite this, there still exists a disparity of health across countries. Living between Kenya and the UK, this has been made apparent. I have worked extensively alongside the Kenyan NGO, PadMad, where I was involved in distributing disposable cloth pads and providing education for women to lead sustainable livelihoods. Observing the effects of period poverty on marginalised women sparked my initial interest in health disparities and public health. To further nourish this interest, I have opted to intercalate in Global Health next year, to gain a foundation of applicable knowledge.
The role of a Social and Welfare Officer is attractive in itself as it offers a platform which can be utilised to bring together like-minded individuals to join the society and access its benefits. I am keen to collaborate alongside other committee members whilst learning and sharing new ideas to elevate the society. Coming from a minority background, I will be able to offer a diverse perspective. My beliefs align with those of the society in that I am a firm believer in equitable healthcare. I hope to emulate this with the role of a Social and Welfare Officer; to ensure that diverse individuals have equal access to the society’s events, mentoring schemes and support services.

In a time of uncertainty, with conflict, natural disasters and the shadow of a pandemic remaining, it is important that we consider our wellbeing and that of those around us. As Social and Welfare Officer, I hope to create a safe, comfortable environment where we can engage with personal and global issues as a community. In the coming academic year, I hope to increase student and committee togetherness through hosting student socials regularly, work with the committee to host enjoyable, informative Global Health events with field experts and increase student involvement in the mentorship scheme. As a Global Health iBSc student, I want to support others in the course with any concerns they have - academic or otherwise.

This year I was part of the Global Mental Health subcommittee and enjoyed creating social media posts where I promoted topics of interest and engaged with students. As a Sustainability Ambassador, I have gained experience collaborating to create innovative ideas to tackle global issues such as the climate crisis. I have always enjoyed meeting and supporting people from diverse backgrounds through volunteering with FoodCycle and being the Volunteering Prefect in Sixth Form. Whilst Prefect, I organised over 5 volunteering groups and other charitable events which helped improve my organisation and communication skills. These abilities and my passion for Global Health are things that I would bring to the role and hope to share it with you! Thank you!

Global Health is an area of Medicine in which I have become increasingly interested and will be intercalating in next year. I have taken part in the SfGH mentorship programme which has been beneficial. I hope that as a Social and Welfare Officer I can raise awareness and encourage others to also find an area of global health that they are passionate about, helping provide access to additional resources beyond the curriculum to support them along the way. In addition, I would act as a great intermediary to help students seek advice and guidance from experienced professionals in the field and be a point of contact should they have any other queries. 

Ensuring the well-being of all members of a society is of key importance when creating a positive and warm community for people to join. I will host mixer events, socials and discussion sessions to provide a great opportunity to network and meet like-minded people. I would also take on feedback from such events and would be happy to listen to people's concerns and ideas to better the society and its activities. 

As UCL SfGH is part of a much wider national network, I would try and facilitate more intercollegiate events and collaborate with other universities to widen participation and provide more opportunities to engage with global health issues. 

Overall, I would make an excellent Social and Welfare Officer as I would focus on the needs of the society's members and implement ideas from any feedback to see they are met. 

SfGH discusses topics and engages in activities that I am passionate about, namely decolonising global health, looking at the role of anthropology in global health and the need for multi sectoral collaboration to tackle important global health challenges. 

As one knows, being a part of the global health field means to constantly be hearing about challenges, oppression and discrimination. This cannot be easy to navigate, especially if they themselves or close ones are victims of these issues. Being Social and Welfare officer, I am looking forward to organising relaxed socials where members can come together to decompress and discuss their thoughts, and gain alternative perspectives from peers. A safe space to talk about these key issues will be beneficial for all members. 

Alongside this, I look forward to organising the highly praised Mentorship Scheme whereby leading professionals in the global health field are connected with mentees with similar interests to discuss topics of interest and support each others’ professional development.