Stephen Garry
The role of SU Welfare Officer is an immensely important one. The Welfare Officer must look after the well being of all students, offering non-judgemental and non-directional advice on mental health, physical health, sexual health, finance, accommodation and relationship issues. It is their job to raise awareness of these issues and advocate on behalf of all students.
Photo: Shauna Watson
To fulfil this role you need the right mix of experience, enthusiasm, dedication, passion and approachability. I believe I have the right mix and that’s why you should elect me to be your Welfare Officer.
Over the past four years I’ve been involved in a wide range of activities relating to Student Welfare. I have served on the SU Welfare Committee, I was elected JCR Welfare Officer to the 1000 students of Trinity Hall, and I am a member of the See Change Youth Panel, aiming to tackle the stigma surrounding Mental Health. With Student2Student I started as PRO and am now President working with over 400 Peer Mentoring and Peer Support volunteers. I have also been involved with the SU and societies like TrinityTV and DU Psychological Society.
Continuity is key. In this regard, I have worked closely with previous Welfare Officers and I know exactly what works well with the office. I am committed to continuing current welfare office plans, including a Peer Support Drop-in service and the LGBT Allies program. At the same time, I will be bringing a fresh perspective to the way in which the office operates at a college wide level.
I have spoken over the campaign period about my three main areas of focus: Campaigns, Collaboration and Support. I want to bring a new approach to the implementation of welfare campaigns across college, with a major emphaisis placed on online marketing. I will also introduce new campaigns such as a “Labels are not for people” campaign, an Equality Week, a cycle to college scheme and a “Don’t walk home alone” campaign promoting safety when getting home at night. I’ll be introducing new workshops, and hosting information drives to assist in the hunt for accommodation. My campaigns strategy is ambitious, but I’ve shown in the past (e.g. through the S2S “It’s alright not to feel OK” facebook campaign with over 1900 participants) that well-delivered, clever campaign strategies can capture the attention of a large number of students.
I also intend to extend the reach of these campaigns by working closely with college staff, societies and sports clubs on innovative projects such as Mental Health through the arts. Collaboration will not be limited to campaigns, though, and I will work closely with the Student Counselling Service to develop a training package to be delivered to academic staff on the back of the results of the MyWorld Youth Mental Health survey in order to ensure that they are informed and sensitive to welfare issues that may arise with their students. Class Reps will also receive basic peer support training so they can be in a position to help their classmates find the right solution to any issue. The role of the welfare officer definitely works best as a collaborative one, and I’ll be ensuring that feedback is consistently requested and valued.
I want to ensure that those who may find themselves in a position where they need to provide support are well equipped to deal with the situation. Equally, it’s vital that those in need of support always have someone available to offer a listening ear and point them in the right direction. This support has to be available both on and off campus. To that extent, I’ll be introducing an online live chat and skype function for the welfare office and a welfare ambassador scheme to act as a point of referral for off-campus locations.
I’ve learned a lot over the past four years and my ideas reflect this learning journey. I see great potential to extend the reach of the welfare office to ensure that important messages do not get lost among the hoards of information thrown at students in TCD. My ideas are feasible, easily implemented and well researched.
Experience is vital, as are ideas, but equally important is that the welfare officer is approachable and willing to listen to any student raising any concern. Whether you need to have a chat, have a vent, grab some condoms, sort out a financial issue, relationship issue, accommodation issue, ANY issue, I’ll be on hand to offer a listening ear in a welcoming environment. Maybe you’ll never feel the need to call in to the welfare office, but if elected next year I promise that even if you don’t need me, I’ll always be there.
