Please see our Student Factsheet about what the Sustainable Development Goals are and how we work towards them.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by the year 2030.
These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.
Worcester Students' Union, alongside the University of Worcester is a proud signatory of the SDG Accord, which is the University and College sector's response to the UN SDGs and aims to embed the SDGs into our work University and Students' Union Commit to United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals - University Of Worcester. Although signed in 2018, the SU continue to work towards the SDG's.
Our only issues based Network is the Sustainability Network, again showing the commitment of the Union and our students to living, working and studying more sustainably.
This is how the Students' Union works towards achieving the global goals:
GOAL 1: No Poverty
- Contributed to NUS Poverty Commission and cited several times in the report
- Continually Supporting students through applications to the Access to Learning Fund from our Advice and Support Service
- Ensure that we keep membership fees for clubs and societies as low as possible
- Made membership fees for clubs and societies available to purchase via Reach account
- Consulted by the University on their Access and Participation Plans and fundamentally support widening access to education as a route out of poverty
- Facilitate collections and micro volunteering for the local Food Bank and Bra Bank. Support national fundraising activities such as Children in Need and Comic Relief
- Created care packages to help students who are parents which were distributed during February half term during lockdown during COVID-19
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
- Healthy eating and living campaigns
- Work with University caterers and University to ensure range of healthy options in shops and eateries and to that prices are kept as low as possible for our membership.
- Clubs and Societies getting involved with RAG fundraising for food poverty charities, e.g Worcester Foodbank
- SU Community (food and essentials) Cupboard initiative organised by the SU President. Students leave what they can and take what they need. An initiative started in response to the 2022 Cost of Living crisis
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
- Facilitate general interest and academic societies to ensure students can get together as groups, learn, develop their talents, and have fun, increasing their sense of belonging and community.
- Provision of recreational and competitive sport
- Inclusivity Reps mandatory for all clubs and societies and trained on how to fulfill their role
- Support World Aids Day campaign
- Run a Safe Sex campaign all year round
- Free Periods campaign
- Personal safety and ‘How are you getting home?’ series of campaigns, in conjunction with a local night club and University Security.
- Run several campaigns within the SU bar, including Every Other One Water, AskAngela, drink and drug awareness etc.
- Support national campaigns such as World and University Health Days and Mental Health Awareness Week, International Men’s Day, Movember, Sober for October, running various activities and working in partnership with charities such as Papyrus and Student Minds
- #TeamWorc UNITED accreditation scheme for club and societies to be more inclusive and share best practice
- RAG fundraising for health research charities
- Support our Networks to represent the views of different cohorts of students and raise awareness around different issues and where students can find help and support
- Provide an independent Advice and Support Service to students, helping with a range of issues from academic to consumer
- Regularly host local charities within the SU
- Facilitate students to volunteer and micro-volunteer in the local community for mutual benefit
- Running a Student Volunteering Week
- Healthy eating and living campaigns
- Work with University caterers and University to ensure range of healthy options in shops and eateries
- Hosting annual events including Celebration Week, Welcome Week and Varsity
GOAL 4: Quality Education
- Ensure effective and robust academic representation for all UoW students through an agreed Code of Practice
- Course Rep Forum and comprehensive training for School and Course Reps
- Officers sit on all major University committees and on Board of Governors
- Provide a wide range of extracurricular opportunities to develop key transferable skills and complement their academic studies
- Support Networks to tackle issues of equality within Education e.g. black attainment gap and the SU engages in national campaigns and debates around this.
- Provision of gender neutral toilets to create inclusive learning environment
- Work with the university to deliver Responsible Futures accreditation
- Help and Advice service
- Black History Month
- LGBTQ+ History Month
- Social Media comms to students that encompass a variety of cultural and awareness days
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
- Support the student-led Women’s Network and their campaigns
- Support and encourage sports clubs to raise awareness of barriers to female participation in sport through #TeamWorc UNITED scheme and inclusivity rep training
- Sports
- #Neverok pledge signing that encourages student groups to have the courage to speak up against sexism and all forms of sexual violence and harassment.
- Provision of gender neutral toilets to create inclusive learning environment
- Supporting Sexual Health for students through the Help and Advice Service
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- Have fundraised for Water Aid in the past
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Student Switch off campaign
- Energize Worcester project with University, City Council, WPI and Worcester Bosch
- Hosted an Air Quality Forum during Go Green Week 2023, to give students the opportunity to speak to local organisations.
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Skills development through SU volunteering offer
- Partnership with Careers Department
- Support university with recruitment (reducing number of youth population not in education, training or employment)
- Employ students in frontline roles wherever we can
- Arranging Employability Fairs and volunteering Fairs for students
- Comprehensive training for student volunteers
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Encourage students to develop new and interesting societies and student-led projects
- Arranging Employability Fairs for students
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
- Networks and Student Council Reps
- LGBTQ+ History Month
- Black History Month
- Sexual Health
- Liberation campaigns (locally and nationally through collaboration through NUS)
- Working with the University on initiatives around inclusivity
- Equality and diversity monitored as part of staff and trustee recruitment processes
- Equality and Diversity training compulsory for new staff and officers
- Equity at Work training delivered to staff and officer team
- Inclusivity Reps mandatory for all clubs and societies
- TeamWorc UNITED scheme to raise awareness and remove barriers to participation in student groups
- Outreach programme to talk to as many students as we can throughout the year
- Support students in Partner Colleges
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Contributions to NUS Homes Fit for Study
- Commuter Students' Network
- Campaigns for buses and bikes
- How are you getting home? Campaigns
- Work with local community (community forum), work on students being good neighbours
- Advice and guidance to students from our Advice Service around private housing, energy consumption etc.
- Facilitate students to contribute to and volunteer in the local community and on campus
- Promote recycling and upcycling initiatives e.g. vintage clothing sales, bra bank, food bank collections, Repair Cafe
- Work with local communities and businesses such as the Fold, Duckworth Trust to promote their opportunites.
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Composting by staff
- Reduce printing and waste in the SU
- Most marketing and promotions done online
- Membership forms and processes moved online wherever possible
- Reduction of single use plastics
- Green Impact campaigns
- Sustainability included in all staff job descriptions
- Supported students to run projects around the use of plastic (e.g. limiting the use of flyers at welcome festival).
- Helping to promote University’s ‘keep cup’ initiative
- Ordering the correct amount of Varsity t-shirts for varsity 2023
- Selling TeamWorc reusable water bottles for students.
GOAL 13: Climate Action
- Work with university to raise student awareness on issues that matter to students.
- Green Impact campaigns
- Student switch off
- Sustainability Network
- Committed to Carbon Neutral 2030
- Officers declared Climate Crisis
GOAL 14: Life Below Water
- Single use plastic policy, member of Plastic Free Worcester
- Supported students to run projects around the use of plastic
GOAL 15: Life on Land
- Support the Nature Society and the new Allotment and Gardening Society
- Wildlife volunteering opportunities, long standing partnership with Wildlife Trust
- Support for and partnership with Wilder Worcestershire and campaign for the Bill to Act
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
- Democratic decision making processes and structure, with annual elections (increasing engagement over recent years)
- Student representation in academic matters through Course and School Reps
- Trustee board ensures we operate ethically, prudently, and sustainably, and according to our charitable aims and objectives
- Register to vote campaigns
- Adherence to Charity and Students’ Unions’ governance code
- Annual General Meeting
- Participation in NUS National Conference, liberation conferences and zone committees
- Promotion of events like student model Commonwealth Summit in Birmingham in May 2019
- Consult our membership annually on satisfaction levels
- Measure ourselves against agreed Values, Key Performance Indicators and a long-term Strategic Plan, as well as through benchmarking exercises within the sector
- Produce an annual Impact Report
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
- Partnership with University in general
- Partnership with University to deliver Responsible Futures
- Signatory of SDG Accord
- Partnership with several charities around health and wellbeing and various other aspects of sustainability, not just the environmental issues.