Welcome back from the Christmas Holidays everyone! I hope you had a restful break and that those of you doing exams at the moment aren't too stressed! I thought that I would give you an overview of some of the projects that I will be involved in during the coming months.

 open our eyes and minds to the diverse student body we are

• Unseen Imperial - This is a project that has been growing over recent years and I am keen to expand it. As the title suggests the project is all about giving a voice and campaigning about the underrepresented student factions at Imperial and opening the eyes of the wider student community. The project focuses on LGBT students, Interfaith issues, BME students, Gender Equality, International students and students with disabilities, but is not restricted to only these areas. Many different campaigns will come under the umbrella Unseen Imperial including campaigns working on destigmatising mental health issues. The mains aims are to speak out against discrimination of any kind, to open our eyes and minds to the diverse student body we are and to give minorities a voice.

• Green initiatives - This term there will be lots of new green initiatives starting at Imperial College Union. I hope to establish a Green Network as a focal point for student focus on green issues, and also as a launch pad for environmental campaigns. More to follow on this soon!
• Personal Safety - This year we hope to get some better personal safety advice out there in a fun and informative way. This info will help you get home safely from a night out, help you spot con artists (especially if you are new to Imperial/the UK) and keep you up to date with any incidents happening across all campuses.
• Sexual Health - Fingers crossed, we should be organising for some more pop up STI checks in the Union building. As many STI clinics are already very stretched and many charities are having their government funding cut (Thanks Mr Cameron!) it is proving to be tricky to find someone to provide this service. However I am continuing to explore as many avenues as possible as I feel STI testing in your own Union would be a great service. Always remember you can obtain free condoms from the Advice centre, SAC reception and from the Imperial College Health Centre.
• YOUR CAMPAIGNS - Soon the campaign form will be available online, and we want to know what you are passionate about. The role of the Deputy President (Welfare) is to run but also support student campaigns. There is a pot of money set aside for student led campaigns which you can bid for to campaign about pretty much anything effecting Imperial students. Whether the issue is specific to Imperial, or to raise awareness about a certain international matter; get campaigning. Details will follow shortly but start thinking about what you really care about and how you want to get people talking about your campaign.
• Student Experience Survey - I would like to thank everyone that took the time to fill out the Student Experience Survey, I know it isn't a short survey and a few mistakes managed to slip through (not my fault- I promise!). We have just received all of the data from registry and the analysis will take some time. This data will feed into a report written by myself and some of the Union staff members. It will be used to lobby college on issues you have highlighted to us, whether that is increasing counselling provision or communicating the welfare services to you more effectively. The survey data is a powerful tool to ask for things, a tool we wouldn't have if you hadn't patiently filled it out. The report will be available online so you can see what we are actually changing. The responses about the Union will also be analysed and we will be trying to introduce changes to make your experience here better.

• Exam stress - For those of you completing exams at the moment, you have my sympathy; at least it takes some of the pressure off in summer. During the summer term myself, and Doug, Deputy President (Education) will be coming up with some innovative ways to help you cope with exam stress.

There is no idea too big or too small!

Well that is what will be keeping me busy over the next few months. If you want to get involved in any of the above activities do not hesitate to get in touch. There is no idea too big or too small! Once again I apologise for the creepy moving hair alongside this blog post, it really is out of my control!